A Thousand Fathoms
by mynightshining
Summary: [Chapter 12 up!] Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who’s counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. Ratings may change.
1. Heal the Breach

**Author's Notes:** Hey, hey people this is my first Spirited Away fic and I hope you like it. I don't have much to say except Spirited Away rocks!!! Has to be one of the best anime movies I have seen, and by far one of my favorites. This story may seem amateur, I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do. Please review and leave _constructive_ criticism. Thank you. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Spirited Away.

**Rating: **PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary: **Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

**A Thousand Fathoms **

**Chapter 1: Heal the Breach**

A warm, aged spring breeze blew past, carrying my hair with it, the forest aroma floating by, into the big black tunnel. I had let my hair grow to my waist, and it was always held back with the tie Zeniba gave me. It wasn't hard to believe that after seven years it was still as strong as the day I received it. Magic, pure magic. The tie was the one thing that kept me believing that the adventure I had so long ago was real and not a dream.

Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a mere dream; believe Haku wasn't real, what I felt for him wasn't real, that the Land of the Spirits didn't exist.

Today was the last day of school. I had graduated and spent the early afternoon with friends and family, for it would be the last day in a long while that I would ever see them again. I was college-bound to family, and endless party-bound to friends. To them my life here was just beginning. To me, I felt like I was going nowhere fast. I was just a statue—eroding, deteriorating over time.

Here I was, standing in front of the old amusement park entrance, the small head statue the only thing separating me from the long black tunnel to the Land of the Spirits.

Seven years. Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey, who's counting?

Seven years since I've seen this statue, this building, this entrance. I can't believe it's taken me seven years to come this far, even though I only live a mile or two away.

The day after I came back from the Spirit World, when school was done for the day, I came, walked to the little shrines, stopped, stared for hours on end down the path, turned around, and headed home. The next day I did the same thing, except one step farther down the path. The day after another step, and then another, and then another. Even then I didn't make it within the sight line of the building. The people who saw me probably thought I was a quack. I thought I was a quack, a messed up teen stuck in an evaporating memory.

I shifted my bags, a duffel and a backpack. I wasn't running away from home. I wasn't running way from anything. I was running _to_ my new life, my new home for the summer. Kind of like camp, except I'd get paid. I was running to Haku, and not away from my family. That was 'The Plan', and Haku and I had 'The Plan' solid this year.

I smiled; I had been doing that a lot lately.

I know that Haku would've come to me, come to the human world, like he promised, if he could have. He was a god, a spirit of an underground Kohaku River, and because of this he was unable to pass over into my world, unable to pass the river separating my world from his. Anchored to the spirit world and without a human shell to hold his spirit, Haku would disappear. I realized that a few years after I left. He said to me he couldn't go any farther; he meant he couldn't cross the river.

I was glad he was a spirit. We were able to communicate through our dreams because of his powers. It was rare but when it did happen it was amazing. There was always a field, random head statues dotted the landscape, and there he and I would sit, staring into the horizon. We rarely talked, and just enjoyed each other's company while it lasted. However, it was only a dream and it pained me to know that it wasn't real, that if I touched him my hand would touch air. I hated not being able to feel the grass, the stone...his hand. No matter how hard I tried that one sense kept a harsh reality—paradise didn't exist in my dreams. It didn't last more than a few minutes for I would wake up in school, with those next to me poking me with pencils and the class teacher would be glaring. But through those dreams we, Haku and I, made up 'The Plan'.

What is 'The Plan'? The day after I graduated from high school I would join Haku in the Land of the Spirits for the summer. I would work for Yubaba and he would remain her apprentice. He was still her apprentice, but she didn't control him anymore. Technically, I wasn't sticking to 'The Plan'. I was supposed to leave tomorrow, but I knew that if I stayed I wouldn't have the courage or heart to leave.

I had left my parents a note, saying it was all right and I'd see them again soon. I hadn't run away, I hadn't committed suicide, and I wasn't kidnapped. I just need time to look at my options, and if everything went as well as I hoped I would find permanent residence at the location. I told my parents I loved them and signed it—my best calligraphy, if I do say so myself.

Taking a deep breath, I walked past the guardian statue, patted the top of it, whispered a small homage I learned from one of my Senseis, and stopped again at the mouth of the tunnel.

I wanted to look back so badly, back down the path, but I knew if I did, 'The Plan' would shatter. Everything I had hoped for would burn and die a horrible death before my eyes. I would want to go back home.

My hand touched a small plaque next to the tunnel. I recalled the summer a few years back when my friends and I fought to keep this place safe from development. Because of our enthusiasm and my book the town committee named it a historical site. The Land of the Spirits was safe, now and forever.

Another breeze, a little harder and pushy, blew into the tunnel, just like seven years ago. I quickly glanced at my watch. 7:30 and the pregnant sun bloated against the horizon. _I don't have much time. _The breeze grew stronger.

"Alright already!" I said annoyed. "You Spirits have no patience."

I could hear sirens in the distance. _It's now or never._

I took a step into the tunnel, subconsciously pulling my black leather jacket around my body. I shifted my bags again. Another step.

"Oh God, I'm actually going through with this." Insane. Insane. Insane. "Breathe, Chihiro, breathe. He'll be there." _Hopefully…_

0

My footsteps echoed of the walls as I reached the station lobby. The fountains still dripped, the stained glass windows were still whole, and the dust was denser then before. I made the mistake of inhaling deeply. For the next few minutes I coughed hard and loud, every breath I took made me cough more. I had to get out of the room. I made it outside, still coughing with no mercy. Once the instinct to clear my lungs subsided, I took in a very deep breath of the fresh spring air. Mental note: _Do not_ breathe deeply in dusty rooms. You will be hacking up lungs for hours.

I looked at my watch again: 7:37. O_kay only a few minutes left. I can do this._

Still, I didn't look back. I couldn't, not yet at least, not until I crossed the river. I didn't take in too many details of my surroundings. I remember green grasses, old run down houses, lopsided statues, and trees. Nothing had changed; everything was just like it was seven years ago. Without stopping I leaped from stone to stone over the already running river.

I walked up the steps, fell to my knees and gasped for air. _I am never running EVER again._ The dust was still in my lungs. Realizing I only had a limited amount of time before I started to disappear, I stood up, took a short, memory-fusing look back as the river flooded the valley. I began my trek to the bridge.

The smell of cooking delicacies whipped past. I had forgotten how good the food was here. Even the food at the bathhouse was beyond human-world Five Star restaurant comparison.

Darkness fell as I reached the bridge and the Frogs were already out ready to greet guests. I hid next to the small garden situated beside the bridge. Either the Frogs didn't know I was there, or they just ignored me. Not only them, but the Gods and Spirits ignored me as well. It didn't bother me; the only person I wanted to notice me was Haku. I hoped with every fiber of my being he'd be outside and see me.

So, I waited, noticing that I hadn't faded yet—knock on wood.

I looked up just in time to see a dragon flying over head. I wanted to jump up, scream for it to come down. I didn't. If it noticed me it didn't show it. My eyes followed the dragon, instead of going into the bathhouse it flew to the empty yard behind the garden beside me.

Soundlessly, I slipped through the gate and walked through the garden, through another gate and arrived at an old, abandoned, neglected shack-of-a-building. I moved around the side and walked as silently as I could to the back. The already full, blooming bushes hid me from the eyes of the spirits. When I reached the corner I hesitated. I was afraid; afraid he wouldn't remember me. _But how could he not remember? We saw each other in our dreams._ I was afraid it wasn't him. _How could it not be him? He's the only one here who's a dragon, right…?_ I was afraid he would reject my love.

I swallowed the doubts that plagued my mind and steped around the corner—cautiously—headfirst. I was ready to bolt down the path if it wasn't him.

A boy, no, a young man, about my age, stood in the yard alone. Shoulder length brown hair framed his face, accented his features. Pale green, almost aqua-hazel, eyes stared back at me, pierced through me. It frightened me. I wanted to run, but something…something in his eyes held me there. I took a step toward him. "Kohaku…?" I whispered almost inaudibly.

"Chihiro…?" He said louder than I did, but I still strained to hear him.

"Kohaku!" I practically yelled as tears exploded from my eyes. Running up to him, I dropped my bags and could feel my smile spread across my whole face. When I reached him I slammed into him, my momentum causing us to spin. The tears continued to fall.

He was real, I could touch him, see him, smell him. It was Haku. And at that moment, now that I look back, I realize that I loved him more than I had myself believe.

"Chihiro!"

"Oh! Kohaku, I missed you so much!"

"And I you, Chihiro."

I placed a friendly kiss on his cheek as I pulled away. A slight, almost non-existent blush grazed his cheeks. I couldn't help but look into his intense eyes as his arms rested about my waist. Haku's eyes always told me what he was thinking if he didn't show or say it. A sob escaped me as I brought him into another hug. I couldn't believe it was him. I noticed he was at least a good nine inches taller than little ol' five-foot me. I had to stand on my toes to reach my arms around his neck.

I pulled away again, whipping the tears from my eyes. "I know I said I wouldn't cry," my voiced cracked, "but I can't help it."

Haku smiled, most likely his first smile in long time. "It's okay." A hand left my waist and brushed a tear away. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." I nodded as his hand made its way to the back of my neck.

"I knew that if I stayed another day I would never come."

He nodded, "I understand."

I moved closer to him. He smelt of spices, a kind of natural cologne. It was a mystical smell, and it felt like I was breathing in perfect air. I could feel my judgement fall slightly, just ever so slightly. Oh God! _No one_ knows how much I had wanted to kiss him at that moment, to be in his arms—well, I already _was_ in his arms—to tell him that I loved him. Still, I was afraid he wouldn't think the same way. Instead of smothering him with kisses, I hugged him _again, _then placed my forehead against his. He kissed my forehead, my cheeks burned. "You're too tall." I stated as I slightly slipped out of his grasp a few minutes later.

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no! Not at all!" Laughing, I brought up my hand to brush my tears away only to find I could see through it.

Haku held up his hand, silencing my plea. Instantly, he moved over to one of the bushes—taking his comforting embrace with him—grabbed a red berry, and told me to eat it. I did so with out hesitation. A bitter taste exploded over my tongue. I could feel my face scrunch up. Wanted to gag, spit it out, anything besides shoving it down my throat, but I had to swallow or else I'd disappear forever. With effort I swallowed the berry, forcing my gagging reflexes to relax. "They're more bitter than I remember…" I stated and glared at Haku. He just simply shrugged his shoulders and attempted to hide a smile. I tried to keep a straight face too, alas to no avail.

Haku held up his hand, again, and I brushed my fingertips against it. A warm fuzzy feeling swept over me. It was like I had just stuck my bare hand in snow for ten minutes and then shoved it in front of a bonfire. I shivered as the sensation ran through my body, and I was whole again.

"Come, I must take you to Yubaba, she's been waiting for you." He picked up my bag and handed it to me. "I can't carry it or the others will get suspicious."

"Yeah right, you're just lazy!" I said placing the bags on my shoulders.

Haku nodded and smiled, "You could say that," I snorted, proud that I had seen through him. "But it wouldn't be right."

"Sure."

We headed around the building, Haku in front. "Do you think you could hold your breath?"

I nodded, "Yes."

I took a deep breath as we reached the bridge. I flashed back to seven years ago; Haku was in front of me telling me when to breath, telling me I was doing well, and then that stupid Frog made me gasp! I had always wondered what would've happened to me if I hadn't breathed. Would I be here at this moment, would I have stayed here and already have a relationship with Haku, or would Haku just like me as a friend? I shivered; I didn't want Haku to think of me as just as a friend. It would break my heart.

I rested my head against Haku's back and looked at the ground. I did not want to see something that would make me breathe, take me by surprise. The best thing to do was close my eyes and let Haku lead me across. Then I heard someone speak to him.

"Haku! Yubaba has been waiting for you! Where have you been?"

I snaked my head over Haku's shoulder. "Only a few more feet." He whispered to me. To the person he said, "I'm coming!"

I followed Haku's general direction of sight and what I saw surprised me, not enough to make me breathe, thank God! A young man, about my age, was standing off the side of the bridge. He looked relatively human and even though he bared no resemblance to Haku, there seemed a strange familiarity between the two. Like Haku, he was tall, not as tall as Haku, but still really tall. And he wore the same out fit, except the parts were Haku's fabric was blue, his was green. Unlike Haku, his eyes were dark green. Tied back with a regular leather tie, his long black hair—probably as long as mine—was fashioned into a tight baraid. However, it wasn't his looks that gave me the heebie-jeebies. His cold, hard eyes made my skin crawl and his aura wasn't too pleasant, something very close to hatred was the strongest feeling I received. Though something about him gave me the feeling that all he needed was someone to break through his barrier and open up his heart.

I still held my breath as we stepped of the bridge; my lungs were beginning to burn. "You can breathe now." Haku whispered. I shook my head, now rested against his back. "Breathe, no one can see you now."

Hesitantly I relaxed, and breathed, but stayed behind Haku as he walked over to the black-haired teen.

"Where were you?" The teen asked coldly.

"I was held up." Haku responded.

The teen stared non-pulsed, completely showing he thought Haku's response was bull shit. The three of us moved into the bathhouse and found the closest elevator, and unlike last time when Lin and I made our way to Yubaba's office, this elevator went to directly to the top level.

There was an uneasy silence the whole journey. Apparently the two had nothing to talk about and it seemed the silence was nothing new. We walked down the long elaborately decorated halls. I kept my gaze on the teen, every once and while he would look in my general direction out of the corner of his eye. I could tell he suspected something.

When we reached the doors to Yubaba's quarters, he looked right at me, right into my eyes and bore into my soul. He then looked at Haku, his glare cold and hard. "Whatever you are hiding, you don't need to hide it any more." He said just as cold.

We stopped. I could feel the protective barrier fall as Haku turned toward the teen. He said nothing but I guessed his look struck a bit fear in the black-haired teen. Haku grabbed my arm and pulled me out from behind him. "This is Sen." I can't say it didn't take me by surprise when Haku called me Sen, but I guess he had a good reason to. "Sen this is Koto. He is Yubaba's new apprentice." I nodded.

"A human?" Koto asked condescendingly.

"Yes, a human. So what?" I retorted. Haku placed his hand on my shoulder, a silent plea, _clam down._

"I'm calm." I snapped shaking Haku's hand off no matter how much I loved it being there. I saw Koto smirk. I glared.

"She does have a lively vigor about her." Koto said. "She will make a good whore. All humans are."

"What!" I screamed with indignation. "I dare you to say that again, you pig-headed beach ball!"

He smiled, "You will make a good whore."

I dropped my bags and charged him. No one calls me a whore. No one! However, before I could reach him, and karate-chop his ungrateful head. Haku had me pinned against the hall's wall.

"No." He simply stated.

"But-"

"No," he said again his gaze softened but I was still pinned. "Yubaba won't hire you again if you kill him."

"It'll be worth it."

"No."

"Damn it Haku!"

"I said no." He paused, "Leave your bags here. I'll take them to Kamaji."

I took a deep breath as I reluctantly relaxed against the wall. Haku cautiously let me go. Koto stood off to the side smiling. He laughed. I growled—something I had been working on since junior high. "I'll find out where you sleep and then chop you up into a thousand tiny pieces, you chauvinistic cockroach."

"I'd like to see you try."

As I walked past Haku I heard him whisper. "I'll take care of him." He rolled up a sleeve. I smirked; Koto wouldn't have a chance against Haku. I walked into the already open doors.

0

"Chihiro, you're back, eh?" Yubaba said, half-sneering and half-intrigued. She never looked up from her papers. "Haku told me you would come back, but I paid him no heed. I thought it was a mindless promise." She looked at me furtively. "I don't understand why you'd come back."

I didn't honor the statement.

"Could it be you stumbled upon this world, again, and _accidentally_ were trapped here?"

Still I said nothing.

"Could you be running away from an ungrateful home?"

"Yubaba, please, let me work here." I was tired and needed rest. Standing there with Yubaba spouting off mindless drivel wasn't what I wanted to do with my time.

"Or could you have strong feelings for a certain someone?" She smirked.

I swallowed, I knew the moment she looked at me that she could see right through me.

"I don't want this place to turn into a brothel house, you hear."

"It won't, and why do people think I'm a whore? I'm not!" I paused. "Please, let me work here!"

"Ah! So, you met Koto…"

_Yes, unfortunately…_ I nodded my head. "Please let me work here."

"Why should I let you work here?" She snapped, leaning over her desk. "You brought _nothing_ but trouble to this bathhouse seven years ago." I bit my lip. "You cost me thousands of dollars-"

"Please, Yubaba! Let me work here. Nothing that happened seven years ago will happen again. I'll do… anything just please let me work here."

"So you can be with Haku…?" Before I could open my mouth she interrupted me. "Answer truthfully, or else I might have to turn you into a pig. Your parents were plump, you might be too."

I swallowed. I didn't want to admit I had feelings for Haku. Not yet, not until I knew he felt the same way. Then again, I didn't want to be a pig.

"Answer!"

I bit my lip. "Yes…"

"You have _feelings_ for that boy?" She stressed 'feelings', almost with disdain, but more with amusement.

"I might. Please let me work here."

"You're an annoying little brat…but… there have been some people asking for help."

I smiled as a piece of paper and a pen flew toward me. "Thank you." The bell rang as I signed my name, making sure I wrote it on my hand first. The pen and paper flew out of my hands once I was done.

"You are now Sen. You got that, Sen?"

"Yes."

"You rang?" I looked to my left and saw my man, my Haku, standing near the door. The same hair, same eyes, same outfit; I hoped he wouldn't be as harsh as he was so long ago. Little did he know back then, his opinion mattered. It was the world to me seven years ago, and even more so now.

"I'm sure you remember Sen. Watch her."

"Yes, Yubaba."

0

0

0

**Review, tell me what you think.**


	2. Have Hope

**Author's notes:** Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews. They make me all happy! So anyway, I hate to keep people waiting, sorry I did. **Be advised I will NOT be making regular updates, they will come when they come.**

Anyhoo! Have fun reading Chapter 2 of A Thousand Fathoms!

Please review and leave _constructive_ criticism.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Spirited Away.

**Rating:** PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary:** Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

**A Thousand Fathoms**

**Chapter 2: Have Hope**

"Sen…" A voice called, distant and faint. "Sen, wake up." Slowly the voice grew louder, less cloudy, and more real. "Sen, damn it girl, wake up. You don't want to be late for your first day at work."

"Run," I whispered softly still between sleeping and waking. "The chickens…they're coming!" They were coming, chasing my cousin and I around the empty yard, and attacking us. I could hear laughter; they were laughing at me. The stupid chickens were laughing at me!

"The chickens!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I bolted up right, eyes wide--so wide that my eyes began to dry instantly. Every single person in the room stared at me. Many were stifling laughs. I gave them a sheepish smile as soon as I realized where I was. An embarrassed laugh escaped as I bit my lip.

"Ready to work?"

0

"This is the bath area, our bath is over here…" Rebi said proudly as she and I made our way to the baths. Rebi had been showing me around and I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from blurting out that I practically knew the place by heart. She, Haku, and Yubaba had decided not to tell anyone that I had worked here years before. Therefore, everyone who knew was ordered to secrecy. Rebi was one of the few who fairly remembered me, though I never knew who she was, and that was why I was paired with her.

She was all right. Nothing about her stood out except the fact that she was about six feet tall. Her long black hair, that fell to about mid-thigh, was pulled back simply by a piece of green ribbon. The ribbon's color almost matched Rebi's eyes completely. Her eyes were dark green, lively, as if she were from the forest herself. Her form was lithe, simple, covered in darkened skin. If only I could have tan like hers…

I remembered once Haku told me how many spirits worked here and what kinds. There were fox spirits, frogs, snails, spiders, toads, rabbits, birds, rocks, trees, water, dogs, cats and many more. Rebi had to be one of them, for she wasn't human. I had three guesses to what spirit she was--a) tree, b) bird, or c) cat. I was leaning more toward bird and tree than anything else; I wanted to know so badly, but I knew better than to ask right then and there. The least worst-case scenario would be that I would greatly offend her.

Yawning, I took another big step, attempting to keep up with Rebi. I had forgotten how hard working here was. It was already three hours into the day and I was exhausted. Clean the floors, clean the tables, clean the walls, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean! The fact that I hadn't had breakfast yet wasn't helping. My stomach growled and Rebi paused.

"You hungry?"

"Um, a little." I said meekly.

"Good." The two of us made it to our bath and to my surprise it was clean: _spotless_ kind-of-clean. "You stay here and I'll go get breakfast."

"Wow, it's clean."

"It would be. There weren't any customers here because I was helping you get situated. I still can't believe it took us that long to find a uniform for you. You're so small, you know." I nodded; I learned long ago to accept how short I was. My stomach growled again. "Right! Breakfast! I'm on it." With that Rebi was gone.

Before I had a second to sit down Rebi ran back to the bath smiling widely. "You have got to come see this!" Rebi grabbed my arm and pulled me to the spot. Practically the whole bathhouse was there in a perfect circle and everyone was laughing.

Rebi dragged me through the crowd and stopped when we got to a clearing in the middle. My hands flew to my mouth to keep myself from bursting out in laughter. However, it didn't help.

Koto was in the middle of the circle poised in a typical ballet-dancer pose. One leg was bent so his foot touched his knee and his arms were above his head in a perfect circle. A rope was tied to his wrists and he was floating just enough above the ground to drive him insane. The way the rope was situated made Koto spin slowly in one direction and then in another. A small tutu was fashioned on top of his head. There was a sign attached to his back that read, _"Will dance for food"_. Last but not least, a hat was placed next to him for donations—already there was a bit of food. When I say 'a bit', I mean a bit. There was nothing more than a few grains of rice and an orange peel.

Koto turned slowly and when he met my eyes his regular glare turned to ice. I could see his hate, his malice, his resentment, his abhorrence, and his contempt, all boiling in him and for the first time, I was absolutely frightened. My instincts told me to run, but I stood my ground and glared back. Smirking to hide my unease, I waved and left Koto to be humiliated in front of his fellow spirits.

The foreman decided to leave Koto there as a tourist attraction for the day. He said the Spirits would love it. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had a nasty run-in with Koto. Most everyone in the whole bathhouse disliked Koto for one reason or another. This was their retribution.

On our way back to our bath Rebi was unable to breathe because she was laughing so hard. "This is great! Koto finally got what was coming to him!" Rebi wheezed between laughs. "I wonder who did it…"

Rebi went off listing all the stupid things Koto had done over the years. I just smiled and nodded, trying to keep the picture of Koto's glare from my mind. To get my mind off the subject I did a thought train: _Food-hungry-tired-sleep-need sleep-sleep_… the first one went nowhere. _Bathhouse-baths-nice-food-breakfast-B-boilers-Kamaji-Lin…Where's Lin? _

"Rebi, do you know who Lin is? I haven't seen her yet today."

"Lin? Lin who?" One of her eyebrows went up.

"Worked her seven years ago…"

"Nope, sorry, Sen." She patted my back, "I don't know her. Why?"

"Um, never mind…" Rebi nodded and we went to work.

0

It had been an utterly boring day today. No one knew who Lin was, I wasn't able to see Kamaji, not one spirit came our bath today, and there was no sign of Haku. Rebi complained the last half of the day about how useless our hard work had been. I didn't blame her. I felt the same way inside. The only pleasing thing was the wonderful display of Koto's humiliation. That was the highlight of my day.

Though, that glare he gave me did give me the heebie-jeebies.

It was cold, a little too cold for my taste. Shocking, because it was almost summer. The "nightly" breeze kept blowing in through the cracks, and lucky me, I was placed in the worst spot. I was shivering non-stop for a long time and no one seemed to notice. I mean, who would? They were all a sleep, some were even snoring, and I was a mere human.

I froze as soon as I heard the door slide open. It was silent suddenly and all I could hear were the soft footfalls of whoever it was. I had a fairly good idea it was Haku, but I couldn't be too sure. It could be Koto coming for revenge. He could rip me up into a thousand pieces. The person stopped when they reached where I was. I could hear the rustle of cloth as the person knelt down next to me. A hand touched my cheek and I knew instantly it was Haku.

"Sen…" Haku whispered softly.

I turned to him and smiled. "Hey." I met his eyes—so calm, so full of emotion.

"Come with me. I want to talk." He said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I grabbed my orange akome and followed him.

We made it outside without any adventure. Thank God all the people in the bathhouse treasured their sleep. It was obvious that Haku was the only one in the entire area who would sacrifice his sleep. I, on the other hand, held sleep as if it were my prized possession—my toy dragon, Fluffy, that I got a week before moving from Osaka. It was white and had greenish-aqua eyes and ridges down its back. Fluffy resembled Haku in dragon-form in every way except it was only a foot long and Haku in dragon-form was quite long.

If it had been anyone besides Haku asking me to talk to them in the middle of the "night" I would've said: 'Go talk to your other personalities, I'm sure they'll listen to you.'

The sun cooked my skin the moment I stepped out of the shadows and onto the bridge. It was a welcome thing. If I could I would sit in the sun all day. Maybe then I'd get a decent tan. Screw skin cancer!

I maneuvered so I could sit on the bridge's rail and still study Haku with full force. He was the perfect male; tanned skin, sincere eyes, amazing hair, great personality, best laugh, a sweep-me-off-my-feet smile, and his arms were toned just enough to show that he had the power! My reptilian brain was urging to take over. The animal instinct was driving me to kiss him, to do something besides just sitting there. Yet, I ignored it.

"So what do you need to talk about?" I asked as Haku leaned against the rail.

Haku looked at me, then at the rail, then at the lengthy space between the bridge and the train tracks. "I don't think that's safe…"

"N'eh, if I fall you'll catch me," I leaned toward him. "So…what's on your mind?"

Haku heaved a heavy sigh and bowed his head. "Years ago, when I first came here, Yubaba made a deal with this… man. It said that if he ever needed any assistance Yubaba would send me to help him for however long he needed me…" Haku let the sentence fall.

"Yeah…" I knew instantly that something disappointing was going to happen.

"He called the deal in this morning."

"What?"

"I'm leaving." Haku heaved out blandly. My heart wrenched. Deep inside I knew that he'd have to leave. I could feel myself being ripped apart by Koto in my sleep when there would be no Haku to protect me.

"When?"

"This afternoon." For the first time his eyes met mine and they showed the pure blues. I was enraged that this man wanted to take my Haku away the day after I just got him back.

"Which afternoon; afternoon-afternoon or 'afternoon'-afternoon?"

"'Afternoon'-afternoon."

"This is just _great_ timing!" I snapped sarcastically. I didn't care if my emotions showed; I didn't care if Haku saw me like this. I wanted to spend time with him, _a lot_ of time with him and he had to go. "I just got here, and now you have to go!"

"I know." He said dejectedly as he moved in front of me. Placing his hands on either side of me, effectively blocking me from moving away, not that I wanted to… He sighed again.

"Can't Koto go?"

"No, it has to be me."

"Why?" I burst out, not loud enough to be a yell, but loud enough to show I was pissed off.

"Because, apparently, this guy is my father."

That shut me up. "Oh…" Guilt washed over me. I felt like I was on one of those game shows where the person who looses the lightning-round gets drenched with green, sticky, slime. Suddenly, I didn't feel so angry anymore.

"Yeah," Haku looked at me again. "Chihiro," I had completely forgotten that my name was Chihiro. Shoot and I thought that I had it written down! I looked at my hand, and just like always, the ink had washed off. Smart one, Chihiro. "I just wanted to spend some time with you before I left. That way I'd have some good memories to bring with me when I leave." He grabbed my hands and held them tight.

I gulped down my rage and guilt and smiled warmly at Haku. At least he wanted to spend his last hours here with me. That means something…right? I was about to move off the railing when a big gust of wind blew against my back with full force. I lost my footing as the wind pushed me forward. Haku went flying a second after I smacked into him. A loud 'umph' escaped as both of us hit the ground.

I didn't open my eyes until I knew for sure that we were still on solid ground. What I saw made my cheeks burn. I was lying _on top_ of Haku, my legs snaked around his, and his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

He studied our situation, just as I did, and soon enough he made eye contact with blushing cheeks. "I told you it wasn't safe."

"And I told you you'd save me if I fell." It suddenly became quiet, really quiet. My hands were clinging to his shirt and I could feel his nicely toned chest through the fabric. Oh, how I wanted to kiss him right then and there!

Our faces moved closer to each other, up until the point when our lips were almost touching. One arm of his traveled up my back and pushed me down, causing the last few centimeters to disappear. Then suddenly we were kissing and we lived happily ever after…

YEAH RIGHT! Only in _my_ dreams! So, there I was, _on top_ of Haku, my legs were snaked around his, and his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. His hazel orbs met with mine; something in his eyes made me blush. The situation was a little awkward, I must admit, especially with my mind thinking _very_ wrong thoughts.

"I told you it wasn't safe."

I smirked, "And I told you you'd save me if I fell." I wanted to kiss him. Too bad I didn't. Reluctantly I stood up and helped Haku to standing. "Okay, so…what do you want to do?"

"I have no idea."

0

Eventually Haku and I decided to go to the cliff overlooking the ocean. It was a nice place. The sun's rays played with the ocean. The water was so clear I could see to the bottom. I loved it here it reminded me Osaka.

I had made myself comfortable by using Haku's well-toned stomach as a pillow and the grass as my bed. I was on cloud nine. The clouds above us, white and fluffy, were casting shadows over the Spirit World. Haku and I were playing the shape game with the clouds. Every cloud I saw resembled a turtle in some way, and Haku always had to contradict me and say it was a horse. I didn't understand how he saw any horses in these clouds. Though, he was probably thinking the same thing about the turtles…

Everything was perfect, despite the fact that Haku was leaving, that was one thing I tried to keep my thoughts from.

"Kohaku I haven't seen Lin around, is she still here?"

"Nope," Haku mumbled as he shook his head. I turned on my side to face him. "She left about five years ago, found a nice guy—another fox spirit—married him, and had a kid. The girl's name is Sen. She named her after you."

I smiled. "That's good for her. She deserved it after all the hard work she had to put up with over the years." I was happy for Lin and she did deserve it. She deserved it more than anyone I knew. Inside I knew that I wanted what she had…I wanted that life with Haku.

"Mm-hmm."

I let my thoughts drift as I turned to the sky again. _Another turtle… _My depression caught up with me, Haku was leaving and I couldn't do anything about it. There was a promise to be kept, and Haku always kept his promises; he wouldn't start to break them now. I should've been happy for him, I mean, he was going to see his father—someone he hadn't seen for ages. And yet… there was this ache in my heart…

"Chihiro, are you all right?" Haku asked as he touched my cheek. I didn't know until that moment that I was crying.

"Huh?" I whipped the tears from my eyes and sat up. His eyes were on me, piercing through me. I knew it was pointless to hide my pain.

Haku sat up and wrapped his arms around me. "Everything will be all right. I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise."

I sniffled, "How long will you stay?"

"I don't know, but I will come back." I melted into his arms; he always knew what to say. He kissed my hair and I heard him whisper, "Another horse…" I smiled.

I don't remember falling asleep. I don't even remember getting carried back to my room. When I woke up the yunas were still sleeping. As I pulled back a curtain, my heart jumped. The sun was burning in the horizon.

0

0

0

**I have no idea what the uniforms/parts of the uniforms are called, but thanks to the website Susuwatari gave me I believe the orange tops are called akomes. If I'm wrong let me know please! **

**Please review, it makes me happy.**


	3. Separation

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Author's Notes: Hello, hello! I'm back and with another chappy!! ^_^ Enjoy! Sorry the last chappy seemed rushed. It seemed rushed to me too, but I'm too lazy to fix it! MWHAHAHAHAAHAHA……yeah…I told you it didn't compare to the first chappy. You should listen to me. ^_^ Anyway sorry for the delay, writer's block already, plus I was reading this great Inuyasha fic that all of you should check out. It's _Hanyou no Kon_ by _Kaminari_. Another reason why I haven't updated is my cat died on Tuesday May 13 2003. She was about 12 years old. I'm still grieving. 

72 reviews! That is way more than I had expected for the first chapters, let alone the whole story. I thought I wouldn't get more than 10 for both chapters. You've all surprised me! As for the question 'Will Rin be in this fic?' you'll just have to find out now won't ya? ^_~

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Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

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Rating: PG-13 (Ratings may change)

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Summary: Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

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~*~*~*~ A Thousand Fathoms ~*~*~*~

Chapter 3: Separation

The lights to the amusement park were already lit. It had taken me forever to convince Rebi to let me find Haku. It was almost the "afternoon" and I was sprinting through the bathhouse. I had to get to Haku. Spirits would throw me weird looks, and sometimes insults for not paying respect. Completely ignoring them I kept running, because, frankly, I didn't care. Haku was my only priority.

I whizzed around a corner and then another. To tell the truth, I had no idea where I was going. There was something, though, something that lead me to where I was going. Something like magic, something like love--a force that pulled at my heartstrings, and my reptilian brain--instinct. 

I had written a quick letter, nothing special really, just something to tell Haku that I did have feelings for him. I also grabbed my book. The book that had been published a few years ago, a book I wrote about the Spirit World. 

Doubts kept popping up in my mind. What if I didn't get to him in time? I wanted to turn back, give up, because at the moment it felt futile. At times I kept wondering if should give him the note. I mean, it could seriously ruin our relationship. We were friends, if Haku thought of me as nothing more than that then giving him the note would freak him out. I was so confused. 

I made it to the small cement platform outside next to the ocean. I remembered when Lin and I were here for a few minutes before I left to go to Zeniba's years ago. There was a thick water line on the edge of it, showing that the ocean's level had decreased drastically over the past seven years. 

Frantically I looked around for any sign of Haku. 

None. 

Nada. 

Zip. 

Zilch. 

The harsh reality was sinking in; Haku was gone, Yubaba hated me, Koto was probably planning his revenge, and I was all alone. This wasn't what I wanted my summer to be! 

The stars were pinpricks in the night sky. Lights flickered across the ocean. The small town miles away stood out against the darkness. Maybe Lin had moved there. She told me years ago that when she left here she would go to that town. I sighed. Everyone was leaving me, or already left. 

"Damnit!" I said blandly as I kicked the cement wall. "I knew it was hopeless." I leaned my back against the wall and slid to the ground looking at the sky and listening to the ocean. I closed my eyes, remembering. I hadn't seen the ocean in seven years. I missed it. When I lived in Osaka* we had a beachfront home. Every morning Mother and I would go to the beach and talk about nothing important. We'd collect shells and driftwood. I still had a few of the shells in my room. 

God, how I missed those days. My life was simple back then; not anything like it was today. Of course it was my fault my life was like this. I'm the only person who can control my life and I suck at it. 

Opening my eyes, I sighed again and shifted my weight onto my knees. Rebi would be pissed if I didn't come back soon. I looked to the sky one more time before heading in. A glint of silver across the night sky caught my eye. Instantly I turned my attention to it. It was Haku; he'd just left. I hadn't missed him after all! My heart soared--once again on cloud nine. 

"Kohaku!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, praying to God that he'd hear me. The strip of sliver kept flying. Mustering up all my strength, I took a deep breath and hollered again. "Kohaku! Damnit, Kohaku, get your butt down here!"

The silver strip turned slightly and before I knew it Haku was standing before me in his human form. "Yes?" Silence. I bit my lip and stared at the ground, my cheeks burning. The burning got worse as I realized he could probably see my blush from miles away, even during a night like this. 

"What is it Chihiro?" His voice was soft, thick, rich; too much of it would make me tingle, just like a double dark chocolate truffle. My eyes instantly went to his, and suddenly I didn't feel so self-conscious anymore. His eyes were calm, like the ocean next us, deep, fathomless. 

I pulled out the book, which held the note within its pages. Gulping I took a step closer to him, my eyes locked with his, my face burning more and more with each passing second. I smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to give you this…" I looked down, unable to keep contact with his eyes, fearing they would tell me something I didn't want to know. "It's a book. Um…" Holding it out to him I continued, "Read it when, a, when you get discouraged." I froze keeping my eyes on the ground. I stiffened even more when he brushed his fingers against mine to grab the book. 

"Thanks," my eyes shot to him. He was smiling with his eyes and face, nothing false about it. 

"I also want to thank you for what you did to Koto. I failed to mention that today." I bowed. "Domo arigato gazimasu." 

"You're welcome." I met his eyes again, smiling. 

"Do you think he'll kill me in my sleep?"

Haku laughed, "No, he knows that he'd have to deal with me after."

I was skeptical, afraid, though I didn't want to mention it to anyone. Obviously Haku could tell for he wrapped his arms around me bringing me into a friendly hug. "Nothing will happen to you, believe me. I have spies. If he does anything to you, I will know."

"Thanks." I rested my head against his chest. Spices filled my nose once again. God, I didn't want him to leave. Reluctantly both of us pulled away. "I should get back," my voice was barely above a whisper. "Rebi will get mad…"

Haku nodded. I looked into his eyes once more and I could sense his pain, his reluctance to leave. "I'll see you again, I promise. And thanks for the book." 

I smiled sadly. "Have fun."

"Yeah." He leaned his forehead against mine. Then, within seconds he was the silver stripe standing out against the night sky. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Saying good-bye to Haku was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. However this didn't compare to the time when I had to give up my plush toy, Umi the Fish. I cried for weeks! Worst of all I had to watch it disintegrate into ash at the yard sale from Hell that went _horribly _wrong ten years ago. That resurfaced memory and the one of Haku flying away made my bottled up emotions explode. I was a mess inside, though I knew better than to show it when I was around the other workers of the bathhouse. The last thing I needed was to have rumors spread around like a grass fire. 

However, sorrow wasn't what I was feeling exactly. Anger was the only way to describe it. I was mad, ticked off at practically everyone in the whole Goddamn world, mainly, though, at Yubaba and Koto, and yes--I admit it--Haku. I hated him most of all for keeping his stupid promise, one that he didn't even make in the first place. He just up and left. I was positive that Koto would find a way to shred me into string-meat even tough Haku said differently. Yubaba, well…there was only a matter of time before I became a pig. Haku said nothing about keeping her away from me. He was the only thing keeping them from me. With him gone, they had the chance to do with me as they pleased. 

"Sen," I could hear a voice, it was so close yet so far away. "Sen, are you okay?"

My eyes fuzzed over and then went back to normal. I turned towards the voice and found Rebi standing next to me. Jet black wisps of hair framed her face, somewhat hiding her dark, forest green eyes. "Huh?"

"You spaced out. You okay?" 

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm just tired that's all."

A smirk graced her features, not just her face but her whole body. She was thinking something, something I didn't want to know. Unfortunately, she told me, her voice filled with amusement. "I bet you are, spending all night with Haku."

My mind went blank. I was positive that my facial expression was the same, blank. How did she know that I went with Haku last night? "How'd you…?" I let the sentence fall. If I wasn't able to complete a whole sentence, I was sure that if I kept talking it'd turn into mindless dribble, and I'd say something I did not want anyone to know. 

"I saw him come and get you," The smirk was still plastered on her face. "I saw him bring you back. He was carrying you while you were sleeping. You said something about chickens." Rebi let a laugh escape. Her smile widened, smirk-like. There was something _suggestive_ about that smile. "He must've really tired you out."

It clicked. 

I thought it was just Koto and Yubaba who thought that I was a whore. It pissed me off to know that they thought that I would even do such a thing, and having three people believe it in three days wasn't a very good sign. "Excuse me?"

"…You know…" One of Rebi's eyebrows went up, as she spoke.

I was shocked, she actually believed that I would…"Oh God! You really think…? It's not like that. We're friends, that's it." I could feel my cheeks starting to burn.

The whole time I said this Rebi was shaking her head. "No, the way he looked at you…there was something. Besides, you're blushing!" My face felt ten times hotter.

"We're friends." I was telling the truth. We were friends, good friends. Even though I liked Haku, even though I had…interesting dreams about him, didn't mean that we were, at the moment, _extremely_ more than just friends. 

Rebi looked skeptical. "Alright… If you didn't…then what did you do?"

"It's none of your business."

"I don't think Yubaba or Koto will listen to a human--especially one that escaped Yubaba's grasp once already. You'll need someone to talk to. You'll need me!" She smiled big, making herself seem like the most important person in the world. 

I rolled my eyes. She was right. I couldn't complain to Yubaba, Koto was an ass, and Kamaji was ornery, again. Plus Rebi was a woman, appearing to be in her early twenties, she'd understand things better than an old man would. No offence to Kamaji, he was like a grandfather to me. However, Rebi was the better choice.

"Fine," Rebi sat down next to me smiling widely, her dark green eyes glittering, thirsting for information. She pressed for answers wordlessly. "We just talked."

She was skeptical again. 

"I'm serious, all we did was talk."

"Sure. Okay."

I lazily threw a hand in the air and shrugged my shoulders. "If you're not going to believe me, I won't tell you anything."

"Okay, okay! I believe you,"

"This stays between us. Even though Haku and I _just talked_ I don't want rumors to go around that aren't true. Got it?"

Rebi nodded. She shook my outstretched hand and smiled brightly. "So… tell me all the details!" 

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Author's Notes: Please review tell me what you think. I know it's short, but oh well. I'm going back to fix chapter two, so chapter four might take a while to arrive. ^_^

*I have the Japanese version of Spirited Away and it never said where she lived before, so I'm saying she lived in Osaka.


	4. Spied Upon

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Author's Notes: Hello, hello! Thanx for the wonderful reviews and hopefully you'll have fun reading this chappy. ^_^ I fixed chapter two faster then I thought I would, so chapter four is here sooner then I thought, as well.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

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Rating: PG-13 (Ratings may change)

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Summary: Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

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~*~*~*~ A Thousand Fathoms ~*~*~*~

Chapter 4: Spied Upon

"So, everything has a spirit?"

"Everything in nature has a spirit," Haku corrected me; his eyes full of amusement--at my own expense, might I add. He pointed to the rock I was sitting on. "A rock has a spirit, a toaster doesn't."

I nodded. "So, this stick has a spirit?" I said as I picked up a stick from the lusciously green field. I shook it at Haku as he tried to bat it away.

"Chi…St…Argh!" I laughed at him. Trying to stay somewhat serious, he continued to bat my stick away as he thought about my question; his lips held in a tight line to keep from bursting out in laughter or irritation. A bird called over head, catching my attention. That was all Haku needed to grab the stick, and to hold it out of my reach. I lunged for it making random treats. I wanted my stick back! All my weight pressed against him as I pushed him down against the grass to grab the stick. 

"Give me back my stick!" I yelped as I ripped it from his hands. Proud that I had my stick back, I held it up laughing. "Ha!"

Haku was still on his back staring at me, smiling. He was happy, content with everything at the moment. I was happy because he was happy, but hitting people with sticks was what made me really happy at the moment. So, I listened to my urge to hit him. He 'umph'ed as I smacked him in the stomach with the stick. 

"Answer my question,"

"No, sticks don't have spirits," He sat up as I slumped over in defeat. "They fall from trees, trees have spirits. A single stick doesn't." 

"Okay, then…this blade of grass has a spirit!" I said as I grabbed a blade of grass.

"No,"

I gave up, and threw my hands in the air. "I give up!"

"Don't give up."

"But I'm confused!" I whined.

"I know you are. Bear with me! Saying that a blade of grass has a spirit is like saying a single drop of water has a spirit. A drop of water doesn't have a spirit, but the lake, river, stream, or ocean it came from does. Do you get it?"

I bit my lip as I thought about it. Sighing, I spoke. "So…this whole field has a spirit…?"

Haku nodded, smiling. I smiled too. Finally I had figured it out. It had taken me two hours to get it but I understood it now. I pointed to a flower. "This flower has a spirit?"

"Yes."

"A telephone doesn't."

"Right!"

I smiled again. Haku grabbed my hand and pulled me down to the ground next to him. The grass was nice and cool to the touch, a complete opposite of the warmth emanating from Haku. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. Breathing deeply, I moved closer to him--as always he smelt of spices. Intoxicating.

"Chihiro," Haku whispered, I looked up at him. "I think you should come back to the Spirit World."

I pulled away from him, just enough to search his face. _Was he serious!?_

"Just for the summer," Haku continued. "You're graduating in a few months and, well, I thought you could come for a vacation, a visit. Of course, you'd have to work for Yubaba…"

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea." What the Hell was I saying? I wanted to badly, but my parents controlled my life. They would never let me spend the summer with anyone, let alone a 3,246 year-old river spirit who looked nineteen. No-way-no-how, and yet I threw all that to the wind. I cocked my head to the side, letting my hair fall over my shoulders. "When?"

"I was thinking the day after you graduate."

"That could work," I paused. "But…how will this work? I know if I tell my parents they'll lock down the house, but, then, if I don't…everyone will think I ran away. I don't want to dishonor my family." The grass became suddenly interesting. 

"I've been working hard figuring this out," He spoke so softly, so full of purpose I had to look at him. "If you come, you'd spend our summer, the Spirit World summer, here then go back. Every month you spend here will be one day in your world. And when you do go back, no one should even remember that you were gone."

My eyes fell to the ground again. It sounded fairly solid. Though, as my nature I was skeptical, whether it came from Haku or not. "Every month I spend there is one day in my world, and when I go back no one will remember I was gone?"

I could feel Haku nod. I smiled. _This just might work._ I tried to give him my evilest smirk I could muster as I jabbed him with my stick. With a shriek I stood up and ran around the field with Haku a few feet behind me.

"Sen…" a voice strong and clear burst through the dream world, shattering the image. "Damnit, Sen! Must I do this every morning? I can't see how you got up early enough for school! SEN!"

"Geez, you didn't have to yell in my ear Rebi." I snapped half asleep. It was dream, all a dream. A repeat of one of the few dream-conversations Haku and I had when I was in my world. Though, since we were both in the same world now we couldn't communicate through our dreams. That was the one downside, the one thing that _really_ made me tick. I sighed, I was wallowing in my self-pity; pinning over a guy that I wasn't even sure liked me.

"You weren't getting up--"

"I'm up now!" I snapped before she could finish her rant. "I'm up!"

"What's your problem?" Naru, a yuna, asked defensively as she helped put away the tatami mats. 

"Don't worry about her, Naru. She's just grumpy because her Dragon Boy's gone, that's all." Another yuna, Hiro, piped in.

"She misses him! It's so sweet!" Mei chirped. 

I can't remember where in this conversation I started to blush, but I could feel it now, all over my face, even my ears were hot. 

"She's blushing! She's blushing!" Another yuna in my unit squealed as I pulled my blanket over my head. I wasn't going to hear the end of it today, not like it was the first time since Haku left. They had been teasing me ever since they found out I had a thing for Haku. Everyone in my unit knew, and even though they teased me unmercifully about it I knew that no one else knew. If there were people outside my unit that knew I have no idea what I'd do. 

Rebi hadn't told them, I was positive, for I would never be given a peaceful minute here. Unknowingly, at the time, it was I that told them. I have a slight tendency to talk in my sleep, something I had developed when I was a child. Recently, I've been doing it a lot more. The topic was no longer chickens, but Haku. I knew this for a fact because, one--Rebi told me and I trust her completely, and two--I've heard myself. Sometimes when I'm standing precariously on the edge of sleep and the waking world I can hear myself say things. I never remember what was said but I can hear my voice echoing through the room. 

Rebi told me that one night the whole unit stayed awake and waited for me to be in a deep sleep. Once I started talking they had asked me questions about things, about Haku, about the chickens. Apparently, I came up with a fist full of interesting answers to a fist full of stupid questions.

"You can't deny it Sen, we know!"

"I know you know," I replied blandly as I rolled off the tatami mat. As soon as I was off Rebi scooped it up. "I've never denied it, yet I've never affirmed it either. So you should stop making assumptions."

I grunted as I pulled my orange akome* on. I could feel my hair frizz out. Lazily I pulled it back into a high ponytail and ran my hand through it. The yunas were still talking. I had almost zoned out completely, but then I heard a yuna bring up the one subject I hated.

"How long has he been gone?"

"I'd say a week or two." Naru responded. "I think Sen knows for sure."

All eyes were on me. Twenty pairs of eyes one me, waiting, curious, thirsting for information. I didn't say anything; in fact I stood up and left the room all together, every single one of them watching me. It hurt, my heart wrenched every time they brought it up, and they had brought it up everyday since they found out he left.

I did know the answer. I knew it exactly to the hour. Eleven days and eighteen hours ago he left me. Eleven days and eighteen hours! Though it my be hard for others to believe, these eleven days made me hurt more then those seven years we were apart. 

I heaved a sigh as I made my way to the check-in station. Today, like every other day, was gong to be long and tiring. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"He's still staring at you." Rebi whispered as we cleaned our bath. 

"I know," I replied, whispering as she did. 

"This is, what, the fifth day in a row? I swear he never blinks!" Rebi hissed.

"It's the sixth day in a row." I corrected as we both furtively glanced up to where Koto was standing. For the past six days he had been staring at me, from when work started to when work ended. It was _really _creeping me out. It was as if he woke up one morning and was like 'I think I'll stare at Sen for the next six or more days.' He had to be planning his revenge. He had to be! Though, I didn't let that thought haunt me at night. Sleep was too precious. Every night I prayed Haku would come back before Koto decided to exact his revenge. 

"You've told him to stop, right?" Rebi asked.

"Yes, once, yesterday…" I chucked my towel at the wall of the tub. Need I say I was fed up? "I'm going to go get breakfast, maybe he'll go away," I said trying to offer myself comfort as well as Rebi. 

She nodded, "Be safe, Sen."

I walked out of the bath area trying to ignore Koto's increasing glare. As soon as I turned the corner I looked behind me. Thank God, Koto wasn't following. I sighed and turned around, only to run into something or someone. Slowly I looked up fearing the worst. 

"Watch where you're going, Sen!" Naru snapped. 

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!" I bowed many many times. "It's just that Koto--"

Naru interrupted me, "I know, Rebi told me. It's creeping all of us out."

"I swear he never blinks!" I hissed. "How can his eyes handle it?"

"I dunno…" She grabbed my shoulder and looked me straight in the eye, "Sen, could you do me a big favor?"

I guess she could tell I was skeptical, because she started explaining right away. "You know Yan left, right?" I nodded. "I have to do all of her work including mine, I have absolutely no time, could you please give Kamaji and the Susuwatari their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I can't do it with all this work that Yan left me." 

__

Feed Kamaji and the Susuwatari? I'd finally get a chance to see them. I nodded. "Sure. For how long?"

"Until I'm given a replacement." 

"No problem." 

"Good!" Naru turned to leave. 

"Wait!"

"What?" She asked turning back around.

"What do I do? Where do I go?" Naru told me to go to the kitchen an hour before each meal, then to take the service elevator all the way down to the basement. She told me to be quick about it, because I had to give Kamaji and the Susuwatari enough time to eat before they had to start work again.

"Listen, I've got to go. I'm far behind as it is. Good luck with the Koto thing, our hearts are with ya, Sen." Naru disappeared around the corner and left me standing there like an idiot. 

__

I guess I need to feed Kamaji now…It was a break from Koto's unwelcoming glare and I took it with pride. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"It's about time, Naru!" Kamaji said blandly as I slid open the door. I laughed.

"You know it's not good to bite the hand that feeds you." I stated warmly as I crawled through the door. Kamaji turned to look at me, his face confused.

"You're not Naru." I nodded. _When did he start stating the obvious?_

"Nope, I'm you're new food bringer. You can call me Sen," I handed him his bowl and waited for him to reply. High-pitched noises erupted from the ground. I glanced over to the floor to find the Susuwatari jumping up and down. I wasn't sure if they were excited because they were getting food or because they recognized me.

"Sen…" Kamaji whispered. "Sen!" I looked at him and smiled. "Is it really you? My, my you haven't grown an inch, but you still look beautiful."

I bowed, "Thank you, um…could take the bowl, it's hurting my hand…" 

"Oh! Sorry!" Kamaji grabbed the bowl from me and handed me his empty bowls from last night's dinner. "You know, Haku told me you were back, he brought your things down here. They're over there if you're wondering." I walked over the to the Susuwatari and glanced to where the spider-spirit had pointed. I nodded, though I had already known where my stuff was. I was searching through it to get my book the day Haku left. "How come you haven't visited sooner?"

"I'm sorry Kamaji," I said, throwing the Susuwatari's food. "I've been busy, Rebi won't let me take my breaks, and Koto is scaring me half to death. It's scary enough coming down that elevator alone, it's much worse knowing that Koto is trying to kill me."

Kamaji chuckled. "Ah, yes, Naru told me. Five days now?"

"Six days," I corrected. 

He chuckled again. I dumped the rest of the food on the little soot-balls and laughed at their cuteness as they buzzed around the room. 

"How's Haku?"

I looked at Kamaji surprised; didn't he know Haku was gone? "He left eleven days ago for something." I sighed. 

"I knew that, I was just wondering if he has sent you anything yet. Mail, notes, something."

I shook my head, "Nope." _They have mail in the spirit world?_ I sighed again. I needed to get back to Rebi before she started to organize a searching party. I wanted to talk to Kamaji, maybe juice some advice out of him but I needed to go. However, before I could voice my thought, Kamaji spoke.

"Just give it time, Sen, he'll come back. Have hope, have faith. He can't stay away from you for a long time now that you're both in the same world. It'll eat away at him."

I grinned; Kamaji was the one of the very few people that could make me feel better. "Thanks, I need to get back. I'll be here to give you lunch then we can talk."

He chuckled again, "That would be nice."

I bowed and the left the room, while the Susuwatari whined in protest. 

It was about ten minutes later when I was walking down one of the deserted halls trying to find the elevator that took me to the baths. I had a horrible sense of direction, and most likely with my luck, the next door I opened would be a twenty-foot drop to the ocean. I turned the corner only to run into something or someone for the second time today. 

I didn't think twice about it until I looked up. The one person I didn't want to run into today was standing right in front of me, glaring at me with his malice. I gulped. _Just my luck…_"Hello, Koto-Sama…" I stopped speaking when he grabbed my arm and shoved me into the wall. 

****

Author's Notes: Okay thanx for reading. I hope you liked this chappy. I liked writing it, yes-sir-ee! ^_^ I think Kamaji's a little OOC. I'm not a Kamaji expert, so yeah… I need to do some research. It's a little rushed, n'eh, I might fix it but I doubt it. My creative juices have been evaporating; the sun is getting to me. ^_^ Hopefully, my block won't last long.

I might not get the next chapter up until late July; but then again I might surprise myself. 

*Akome, I believe is the top part of the uniform. I'm not completely positive. If you know for a fact that I'm wrong PLEASE let me know. ^_^

Thanks to Susuwatari for telling me about the website and what the uniforms are called. ^_^


	5. I'm Beat, I'm Torn

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Author's notes: Hey, guys! My gosh, long wait, yeah I know. I had a small battle with writer's block and I had to deal with finals (which are nothing but a load of kuso, if ya ask me). But here I am! And it's short, I know, bear with me! ^_^

Thanks to Crystal-Chan for giving me my 100th review! You are awesome. And thanx to everyone else, you guys have been so supportive. I'm jumping up and down! This is ten times the number of reviews that I thought I would get. Thanks soooooooooo much! =^0^=

Please review and leave _constructive_ criticism. Thank you. Enjoy! 

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

****

Rating: PG-13 (Ratings may change)

Summary: Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

****

~*~*~*~ A Thousand Fathoms ~*~*~*~

Chapter 5: I'm Beat, I'm Torn

My head had hit the wall, hard, causing my eyes to see black and white spots. Then moments later the spine-shivering sound of skin against skin echoed through the hall. My right cheek went numb, like a bee had just stung me. Koto's God-awful slap was strong enough to send my head flying to the left. 

"This is what you get for humiliating me like that." Koto hissed between clenched teeth, one hand holding my arm, the other in front of my face--pointing an accusing finger. His grip on my arm tightened slowly, pinching my muscles and nerves. Sharp pain rushed through me. I bit my cheek to keep from giving him the satisfaction of injuring me. I would go to Hell before I showed pain, let alone fear, in front of this man.

I turned my head from the floor to look at him. I made sure I gave him my most deadly glare. "What the Hell is your problem?"

He looked surprised for a moment, as if he hadn't expected me to speak, let alone to be hostile. He regained himself, then spoke. "Humans are the disgrace of this earth. They should be nothing but slaves to the spirits!"

I laughed at him. As soon as I did the pain in my arm worsened. His grip was deadly. Still, I didn't let it show. I was stubborn that way, and almost every time I reach stubbornness something bad, really bad, usually happens to me. "Why do you hate us so much?" Silence "Just because you're a little insecure, a little afraid of me--of us humans--gives you no right to treat us, and me, like this." His eyes glared daggers at me. "Believe me, buddy," I shoved him, my voice lowered. "You _do not_ want to be on my bad side."

A sickening sound echoed as he cracked his knuckles. "Ungrateful bitch!" His fist swung with amazing speed toward my face. Luckily, I had been expecting that sort of a reaction and ducked just in time, my old karate training kicking in. His hand met the rock-hard wall with a crunch. He didn't even flinch. I looked at the spot, my eyes widened. A gapping hole was where is hand hit. This was worse than I thought. 

"What's there to be grateful for?" I stood up, just in time to avoid a mouthful of knee. However I wasn't quick enough to dodge the fist flying at me. The right side of my vision went black. I dodged another fist and used my momentum to thrust the heel of my hand upward, hoping to subdue him. I smiled when my hit landed home. I jabbed him in the stomach before I pulled away. 

I studied him with my good eye as he took a step back. His knuckles were bleeding and blood oozed over the hand that he held over his nose. He glared at me with the same malice he always had. "Bitch!"

"That's what you get for attacking a girl!"

He charged again, and I remembered my sensei saying that it wasn't about the power, or strength of you, or your enemy. It was about the will to win, and I was pretty sure his will was as strong as mine--though, I had a better reason for winning, and therefore a better advantage. I wasn't blinded by rage; I was trying to save my life, and therefore had a clear enough head to think about what to do. When he was an inch away I used his momentum to throw him into the hall I had come from. He rolled and stood again, this time his right arm was pulled against him, injured. 

He charged me once more, faster and more powerful then the last time. I ducked a sloppy swing from the left, crouched to floor, swung my leg in a half circle catching his legs. He toppled both sideways and backward, resulting in his head smacking against the wall.

For moments he stayed there, before he slid to the ground. He glared at me, spitting a bloody loogie toward my general direction. Ragged breaths escaped through his clenched teeth. "Go to Hell, bitch!"

"Yeah? Well, I'll see ya there!" I snapped back before he slipped into unconsciousness. Only then did I notice the metallic taste flowing over my mouth. I spit; it was red. I was bleeding. Idly, I brought my hand up to my lip, seconds later I brought my hand to eye level, my fingertips covered in blood. 

"Ouch." I whined passively. I heard footsteps; a lot of footsteps, coming from down the hall. Idle chatter and laughter followed. I turned, keeping my eyes on Koto. If there was anything I had learned today, it would be to watch my back.

However, I never thought to watch my front. I never saw the wall. I could barely remember a growing dagger-sharp pain coming from my head that surpassed all my other injuries. The vision in my good eyes went bad as the world turned from colored to gray. Everything began to spin. I stumbled, trying to keep myself up, though my perception was much more worse off then I had thought. 

__

Great, just great timing for your clumsiness to show up, Chihiro! I snapped at myself. Wind buzzed past as I fell to the floor, a moment later sharp pain shot through my left arm and head as I hit. I remember seeing feet, hearing yelling, worried voices, my name being called…and then everything went black 

****

Author's notes: Thanx for reading I know it was short, but hey, I wanted to get this up before I disappeared for ages.

Oh! By the way, the chapter title is a line from my favorite song by Cat Stevens. If you can tell me what song it is I'll be a very happy writer! Yup yup! ^_^

For Alotua's comment about Haku's height; let's say he bent down to her height, it works. ^_^;;;


	6. Eye Spy

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Author's Notes: Hey everyone I'm back. Sorry it took so long. Writer's block, yup yup! I also wrote one version and hated it 'cause it was stupid, so I had to start all over again! Grr! Argh! But right now I'm all happy because I have a new kitten. He's a cute black tabby/domestic-short-hair with bright yellow eyes! He's such a sweetie, and his name's Charlie! ^_^ 

You guys are great! I appreciate all the wonderful reviews! I really want to thank those who e-mailed me, they gave me the motivation to continue. So, if you're reading this, be happy, I did this for all of you. PLEASE, NO FLAMES!!

Keep in mind, I wrote this to eventually recover from my writer's block, so, please, if it's horrible don't hold it against me. I will eventually rework this chapter and make it better. Anyway, please review and leave _constructive_ criticism. Thank you. Enjoy! 

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

****

Rating: PG-13 (Ratings may change)

****

Summary: Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

****

~*~*~*~ A Thousand Fathoms ~*~*~*~

Chapter 6: Eye-Spy

When I woke up, it was to an eye-full of sunshine and a mouth-full colorful curse words. I was in pain. No… that's too light of a word. My head was throbbing madly, and though, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open my right eye. My left eye, on the other hand, was the one to receive the eye-full of sunshine. My vision blurred instantly, and I blinked the tears away prior to attempting to sit up. 

Before I even made into a sitting position I collapsed swallowing a painful scream. I had tried putting weight on my left hand--bad idea, _really_ bad idea. Searing pain coursed through my left arm, mostly concentrated on the area near my wrist. The pain that shot through my arm was twice as much as the pain in my head, which had doubled the moment my head left the floor. 

Everything around started to spin and warp. The walls were fading to black, and little stars popped up now and then. This wasn't a good sign. 

Reluctantly I relaxed. There wasn't any point in exerting myself at the moment, and if there isn't any point to do what I'm doing, then why do it? I groaned as the sunlight soared into my left eye, again, while red covered my field of vision on the right side. What was wrong with my eye? With me? 

Noting that I probably wouldn't come up with an answer to my thoughts, I shifted slightly and turned my head to look around the room.

__

Why am I here…? Wait, where is here…? Why am I in pain? I whined an incomprehensible whine in an extremely high-pitched, scratchy voice, that reverberated through my head. My eye closed trying to shut out that God-awful sound, but to no avail. Groans erupted from me when my futile attempts to block out the noise failed, which lead to making my headache three times as worse. _Mental note:_ _From here on out,_ _NO MORE noises._

My gaze scanned the room again. _I spy with my one eye…_ The scanning stopped when it landed on a beige-greenish lump in the corner of the room. _A beige-greenish…thing…_ Without causing too much torment to myself, I turned onto my good side and gave the lump in the corner a closer look. It had black stripes. Weird, very, very weird black shiny stripes… 

I had to find out what it was. Maybe it was a new species of lemur…I like lemur's. They're funny little creatures--with the way they jump sideways and all…

It didn't take that much energy to flip onto my stomach. That was a good thing, seeing as I didn't have a lot of energy to begin with. I put my weight on my forearms and used every bit of muscle I had to lift myself onto my knees. It was hard work. My head started throbbing again, and I could feel my blood rush willingly to the pull of gravity. I sat there for ages wishing the room would stop spinning. If the room was spinning that meant the lemur-lump was spinning too. I didn't feel like chasing a lemur around the room in this condition. No good could come of it. 

Inch by inch, I puttered along, sliding across the floor on my knees, a hand and two feet slowly pushing me along. I tried to avoid using my left hand; it hung limp in my lap. A ring of repulsive black bruises spread around my whole wrist like a bracelet--a very painful, uneven bracelet. I wasn't a doctor, but I did have the common sense to know that that wasn't a good sign. 

The lemur had stopped circling me by the time I got to it, while the room, on the other hand, continued at a slower pace. The lump was a little too big to be a lemur. I leaned in closer, trying to blink the blurry-ness from my eye. The lump focused, lines became sharper, and the color more vivid. It didn't have black stripes. They were, in fact, stripes of long glossy fur…or hair--the kind of hair that gave me the sudden urge to touch it, to play with it and put into small braids. I inched closer, only stopping when a few centimeters separated me and the "It" from bashing against each other. The non-lemur creature had a nose and lips and closed eyes (how very surprising). 

A shiver ran through me, but it wasn't from cold. It was a warning shiver. I had had enough of those to know when it was a warning shiver.

The nose and lips looked so familiar… and the hair… I gasped sharply and snapped my head up so fast I got head rush and almost fainted then and there. Luckily I didn't, for if I did I would've fallen smack-dab on Koto. Yes, it was that air-headed, beach ball Koto. And I had been so close to him! 

I grimaced. 

I shut my eye, willing myself to breathe deeply to pacify my humming heart. _Calm down...calm down._ I snorted. It was easy for my mind to say that, but my mind hadn't just been centimeters away from Koto's face and…his lips! 

Oh god! If I had moved any closer I would've locked lips with _that_ unconscious pig! Bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down before it even had the chance to escape. 

He _was_ unconscious…wasn't he? 

I looked at him again, this time with more clarity than before. He looked unconscious. _He could be faking it though…_Cautiously; I reached a tremulous hand towards him. I was being foolish. Why did I even care if he was awake of not? I mean, if he was… he could have just attacked me when I was an inch away from him. All he had to do was lash a hand out and I would've been subdued in the blink of an eye. Now that was a scary thought. Wait, here's an even scarier thought; he could have morphed into a lemur and then the animal could have attacked me. I shuddered at the thought of a violent, man-eating lemur. Definitely a scary thought.

I shook my head lightly, shaking away terrible notions of what could have been. 

"Think happy thoughts…" I whispered to my self. I chanted that mantra a few times. It was then, I realized, that my finger was poking his shoulder in perfect time with my chanting. I drew my hand back as if it had just been burned and glared at it. My own hand had betrayed me! It touched the enemy! What if it had woken him up? _Oh crap…_

Hesitantly I moved my one-eyed glare from my hand to Koto. He still lay in the same place as before. He hadn't even made the slightest acknowledgement to the poking. In a way, that was good. 

But, what should've made me insanely happy made me scared. He wasn't moving. I couldn't even see his chest rising and falling when he breathed--_If_ he was breathing… 

"Oh, crap. I didn't kill him, did I?" I mumbled sourly. I was annoyed. Surprisingly, not with Koto, but with me. Something was tugging in my chest, pulling on my heartstrings ever so slightly. It may have looked like I didn't care. I did. I had possibly killed some one. 

I scowled. I was worried about _him_? _Why_, in the name of God, was I worried about _him_?! He had beaten me senseless--actually the wall did that, but that's beside the point! If I hadn't knocked him out when I did things could've been a good deal worse. I could be finding my place in the afterlife instead of him.

During this whole conflict I failed to notice that my severely bruised left hand was hovering millimeters from his forehead. Heat radiated from him. I could feel it on the tips of my fingers, my very cold fingers. They moved to touch his forehead, wanting to feel the heated skin, and there was no way to stop them. 

It had happened so fast, I don't remember what exactly took place. One second he's on the ground unconscious, the next my injured wrist is trapped in his vice-like grip, he's sitting upright and his eyes are boring into mine. I had tried to scream but nothing came out, save for a small unintelligible yelp. Unbelievable, I was too frightened to scream.

Is this what its going to be like for the rest of my summer? Was Koto going to use his power over me to control me, to berate me, to inflict irreparable damage…to try and make me his bitch…to make me _his_ whore? I gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. 

His grip tightened on my wrist and I bit my lip to keep from yelping in pain. _Don't show weakness. If I show any sign of weakness in front of him, he'll win._ With that I set my jaw and was about to rip my poor hand from his grip…well that was the idea until I saw his eyes. They were drowning in sorrow. _Sincere_ sorrow. His eyes held mine, revealing an internal battle that neither side was winning. 

Koto looked over my wounds, the wounds that he had caused me as his eyes welled up with tears. Now that's something I never expected to see, the great and chauvinistic pig Koto about to cry like a blubbering baby. I would've laughed if the moment hadn't been so serious. 

His hand stretched out towards my face, fingers wanting to brush against my bruised skin. I pulled away as much as my aching body would let me. With an icy glare, one that could rival his most penetrating glare, I ripped my hand away from him. That's when I saw something I shall never forget. His eyes… those sincerely pained eyes… One second they're the forest green, deep pools of emotion and the next they're… they're red, a bright, shinny, glistening blood red--full of hatred, and lust, and the unquenchable desire for control and release. Then as quickly as it came the red vanished and the deep forest green pools full of emotion were back, but different, more guarded. 

A moment later he shriveled into a withering mass…or at least I wish he had. 

He was glaring at me now, much like I was to him. Except mine had lost it's fire the moment his eyes flashed red. It scared me beyond belief. It sucked all my happiness, all my hopes and dreams out of me in one swift motion. I didn't want to be in this room with him any more. I shifted, not nervously, but to make a get away. Right when I was about to execute it the door swung open with a bang and scared both Mr. Ice Queen and me next to me out of our wits. 

****

Author's Notes: I'm such a hypocrite. I constantly tell people to keep up on their stories and I get sad when my favorite stories aren't updated, and yet here I am. I haven't updated this fic in like, what? Four months! Anyway, if any of you need to know why I haven't been updating lately you can look on my Bio and read the part labeled **Excuses, excuses**. ^_^ 


	7. Resentment

**Author's Note: **Hey all! Thanx so much for your support! ^_^ Here's chappy 7! It's a little short but I at least wrote this much, which is a good thing considering how busy I am. I'm proud of my self that I managed to get through my fit of writer's block and hopefully that will be the first and last writer's block I will ever have on this story.

I re-read through this chappy and noticed a lot of tiny mistakes, so I fixed them. 

Please review and leave _constructive_ criticism. Thank you. Enjoy! 

**Warning:** There is a bit more swearing in this one, mainly at the end. You don't like it, tough. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Spirited Away.

**Rating:** PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary:** Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

**~*~*~*~ A Thousand Fathoms ~*~*~*~**

**Chapter 7: Resentment**

I could hear the clattering of dishes and the high-pitched screech of squeaky wheels rolling across wooden floors. I spun on my heels to face the door. My head started pounding again, I had moved too fast. A portly, stocky lady in the traditional workers uniform entered the room with her back towards us—no, correction, me and the Thing (Koto). She was talking to herself in low mumbles which couldn't be heard over the squeaking. 

I glanced at Koto the best I could out of the corner of my eye. His face was back to that asshole mask that he always wore. His eyes having returned to the normal shallow ice-glare flicked toward me. Angry, I glared back at him then averted my gaze. That pig didn't deserve my attention.

The woman had continued on with her mumbles, I could hear her words now that she had stopped the horrid squeaky wheels.

"Lunch time now, dearies," She grabbed a bowl, her back still towards us. "Miso again, hope you don't mind…" She turned to where I had been laying minutes before. It took her a few seconds before she realized that I was no longer in the bed, and another few to kick into gear. With a wild flailing of her arms, bowl of hot miso soup in hand, she turned around, and around, and around. A string of curse words colored her speech, not because she was pouring burning miso soup all over herself, oh no, but because I was missing. That little fact made me feel somewhat special. She looked over every inch of the God-forsaken room, every inch except for the small space occupied by Pig and Yours Truly. 

With a small sigh and a mumbled "Yubaba's going to kill me," she turned back towards her cart and grabbed another bowl. 

I had already blocked out her speech and was ready to do so for a long while until one word broke through to my head. "…Dragon…" That grabbed my attention. "…doesn't kill me either. Lot of temper that one..." 

_Dragon?__ Did she just say dragon? Haku's a dragon… Does that mean Haku's back?!_ I perked up instantly, ignoring painful protests from my aching body. 

The lady turned towards me and Pig. When her eyes rested on us they grew wide, seconds later they squinted closed with her monstrous smile. The grin was huge and kind of freaky too; kind of like the chesschiere cat's smile from Alice in Wonderland. I could easily picture her body disappearing and leaving that annoying smile to psych me out. 

"You're here! Thank the Spirits! Yubaba would've had hay-day with me if you'd disappeared. She'd turn me into coal or a pig and roast me for din—"

"Silence!" Koto hissed from his position next to the wall. 

Well, that was a nice thing to say—note my sarcasm. As if he hadn't proved he wasn't enough of an asshole already he had to snap at the poor lady. Yes, freaky as she was, she deserved better than that. I wanted to growl and almost succeeded in doing so until my head started to pound yet again. So I opted for plan B, to glare at him for a good measured amount of time then continue to glare for a few more minutes after that. I looked over at him, met his eyes and surprisingly held the glare for as long as I had intended, which was a feat might I add because he was starting right back at me. 

"Yes, Koto-sama." The lady obeyed meekly. 

I rolled my eye at how easily she had given up and at how much control Koto had over people. My gaze returned to the woman, who was placing the bowls of soup and chopsticks on the floor next to us, and decided to ask her about the subject that had captured my attention in the first place. 

"You said something about a dragon…" I half asked-half stated.

The woman shifted her gaze to mine, then to Koto and back to the floor. I didn't even need to look at the pig to know he was glaring at her. I could feel it. I had to say something to get her to talk to me. It was necessary for me to find out if Haku had returned. 

"Don't worry about him," I motioned towards Koto. "He just over-dosed on jerk pills this morning." When the woman tried to hold back a smile, I smiled at myself. I just slipped in an insult and I was proud. I may have looked and felt like complete shit but I was happy. Koto's tangible glare was centered on me once again. I cringed inside, knowing I'd have to face Koto's wrath once again, but it was worth it. Determined to ignore him, I mentally nudged the woman to speak. I doubted it would do any good.

 "Yes," Her eyes flicked from the floor to my eyes, wait… eye. "Yes I did." Way to go my mental abilities!

Haku was back and I was safe again. Koto wouldn't be able to hurt me again and I could spend the rest of my days happy beyond all reason. "So, Ko—" I struggled with Haku's real name, knowing I wasn't supposed to say it. "So, Haku-sama has returned?" 

The woman shook her head. "Oh no, Miss." In that split second my whole sense of security shattered along with my hopes of living a long and healthy life. "Haku-sama is still on leave." 

I was confused. "But you said…that—"

"That," She stated cutting me off, "I hope the dragon doesn't kill me either." 

"Right…Haku-sama is the only dragon." Koto snorted from his spot. I rolled my eye again. "Right?"

"No, Miss, Koto-sama is a dragon as well." I froze and I felt more than witnessed Koto do the same. I was stunned. Koto was angry. The woman flicked terrified eyes to Koto. Seconds later she was bowing so low I was sure she'd break in half. I could hear her mutter apologies to Koto over and over again. 

"Oh." I managed to say while my brain tried to return to normal. It clicked seconds after I spoke. Angry was the only word I could think to describe my emotion at that moment. Reason and caution left me and I felt the rage take control no matter how hard I fought to keep it at bay. He was a dragon like Haku. Haku wasn't unique anymore and that's what made me mad. This asshole shows up terrorizing anyone and everyone in his way including me and he's a dragon? Dragons are holy creatures looked to for protection and this _Thing_ next to me is nothing but a creature who finds amusement in pain and suffering. Haku was a protector, the epitome of a dragon. It hurt knowing that Koto and Haku so closely resembled each other in more ways then one. What was worse was that maybe, if Haku…if something had happened to Haku, if he was brought up differently…maybe, maybe he'd be like Koto. Maybe he'd act like him and hurt people the way Koto hurt people. That scared me more than anything else, more than when I first was victim to Koto's icy glare, more than when Haku almost died in Yubaba's office. I wanted to kill something, _needed_ to destroy something in order to make myself feel better. But I knew if I did there'd be consequences I wasn't ready to face. I forced my self to take a deep breath, attempting to bury the anger for another day. 

"Really…?" My voice was laced with a fake sweetness that failed to hide my true feelings. I turned to Koto. "What a _pleasant_ surprise." The anger flared again. Poised and ready, I waited for the right moment to strike. The only thing needed was for Koto to give me any reason to attack. Screw the fact that I was completely out of commission and every time I moved I was in pain. 

I knew that he knew I felt this way. The moment I moved my eye to him his defenses bolted into action. It was a show down; our glares sparking with energy as they crashed together directly between us. 

"Please…" The woman spoke meekly. "Eat your soup you two. You need it to get better. It has healing herbs…" She pushed the bowls closer to us, in order to stop the violent feelings rolling out in waves between me and Pig. That woman was braver than I gave her credit for. Reluctantly, full of untrusting feelings, we both looked away from each other and focused on our soup, still shooting each other suspicious glares. 

The woman sighed. "Good," She smiled in relief. "When you two are done, Yubaba wishes me to take you to her," She cleared her throat, "…for your punishment." I cringed. All my aches and pains returned full force now that there was nothing to keep my mind off of my injuries. _Oh, joy…_

"Joy," Koto stated blandly. 

A growl rumbled in my chest. Great, now he had a way to read my mind. Just great! Fucking craptastic!

**Author's Notes:** Yeah, another three months of waiting? I feel bad torturing y'all. But anyway here's the next installment. Hopefully you guys won't have to wait so long for the next chapter. I have it all planned out, it's just a matter of free time to type it. 

I've been looking for some good SA fics and I haven't been unable to find any, maybe because I'm just too lazy…Anyway, if any of you know any stories that are worth reading let me know. Thanks. 


	8. Vultures

**Author's Notes:** I gave all of you a fair warning I wouldn't be making regular updates. I'm still writing, but slowly. I have caught the lazy bug, and I've been out town. This chapter is going to be half a chapter because, I feel, the faster I update the happier you'll be. A double dose so to speak. Enjoy!

**Warning:** There is swearing. You don't like it, tough.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Spirited Away.

**Rating:** PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary:** Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

** A Thousand Fathoms **

**Chapter 8: Vultures**

What I hate most about walking is the fact that you have to _move!_ And, seeing as I have no coordination or depth-perception without being injured, it's a miracle I only ran into three walls, fell down in the elevator, and stumbled into Yubaba's office. The whole time Koto never tried to hide his amusement. He looked like the Devil's Spawn himself. His sneering, superior smirk never left his face. I wanted to slap him, yell at him, do anything I could to wipe that dumb-ass smirk off his face. _Oh, if only I could…_

Men! I hate men! Men are stupid. Men need to be fixed because they're all broken.

Before I knew it, I was standing before Yubaba and all her scary gory—I mean glory. She did _not_ look happy. Her eyes were narrowed, brow creased and her aura as cold and biting as ice. I swear she looked ready to flay us alive and have vultures fight over our still dying bodies—one by one slowly picking away at our organs… and that's putting it in the lightest way possible.

She glared at us for a good measure of time, intent on breaking us little by little in slow agonizing torture while waiting for her outburst. Then she spoke, her voice as thin as ice. One wrong move and we'd be begging for mercy.

"Do you have any idea how _stupid_ you two are?" I noticed Koto flinch slightly. I resisted the urge to bite my lip. I would _not_ show fear to anyone in front of Koto.

Yubaba glared at me. "You clearly stated that events like this wouldn't happen."

I refrained from saying that I said 'nothing from the last time will happen again'. I didn't want any more of Yubaba's wrath. _I _remained silent.

"Yubaba-sama," Koto, on the other hand…. I admit, I've got give the man credit—for being a stupid idiot. He was going to have a hard time now. "It was not my fau—"

"I don't give a fuck whose fault it was. Tell me what happened."

Koto exploded into a big elaborate tale and I broke into mine, not wanting to be singled out. By the end, there was no longer a story; just two extremely immature teens, who had regressed to shouting insults at each other

"_SILENCE!_" Yubaba hissed. Spawn and I stopped in mid-sentence, both of us looking much like a deer caught in a car's head lights. "You're acting like children. Sen's seventeen—that much is understandable—but you," she glared at Koto, "You're 2,467 years old. Act like an adult!"

"He can't help it, Yubaba, if his brain's the size of a pea." I couldn't believe I said that. If I wasn't going to die before, I was sure as hell going to die now.

"Whore!" Koto snapped

"Shit-head!" Ooo! I was going straight to hell for that one, if the look on Yubaba's face meant anything.

"Silence! Stop being immature," she took a deep breath. "Now, you are going to tell me what happened—one at a time," she said effectively cutting me and Koto off. "There will be no childish insults and you will tell the truth. If you don't do as I say, I swear your punishment will be a thousand times worse then it already is."

I wondered slightly what could be worse then vultures eating my intestines, but afraid of what I would come up with, I stopped my train of thought.

"Do you understand?"

I nodded. Koto didn't.

"Good," Her voice was too sweet, too threatening not to be ignored. She gestured to Koto. "You begin."

"She started it."

"I don't care who started it. Tell me what happened."

"She seduced Haku-sama into humiliating me in front of the entire bathhouse."

"Yes, I remember that."

"You didn't punish him."

"That's right, I didn't," she spoke threateningly. I didn't know what the threat was, but it was effective enough to make Koto weak in the knees.

He cleared his throat. "I confronted her about it. She became defensive and disrespectful. She attacked me and I reacted in self-defense."

"Bull—"

"Sen!" I took a deep, calming breath. Ha! Calming, my ass. "Continue, Koto."

"That is all, Yubaba."

She switched her iced glare to me. "Your turn."

I gulped. I didn't know where to start, so I chose to fix the first untrue statement the Devil's Spawn made. "I didn't seduce Haku-sama into doing what he did. It was only in retaliation to what Koto-sama had said about me."

"And what did he say?"

"He called me a whore, among other things. Haku-sama did what he thought would best remedy situation. Obviously, it was a wrong choice." At this, Spawn snorted. I glared. "Today… or yesterday… Koto-sama cornered me in the hallway after staring at me for six days straight. He slammed me against the wall and backhanded me. He then proceeded to call me an ungrateful bitch, and attacked me. _I_ reacted in self-defense, not him."

Yubaba looked between us, layers upon layers of steely glares.

"Both of you are a disgrace to this establishment. I should turn you into pigs and serve you to the workers for a feast. However, as much as I detest saying this, you two are good workers and I can't afford to loose you. You," She indicated Spawn, "since you quite obviously lied about this mess, will be put under lock and key."

Spawn looked indignant. His face became a lovely shade of purple and his eyes bulged. I took a baby-step sideways to escape his wrath. He didn't notice.

"You are not," Yubaba continued, "under _any_ circumstances, allowed to leave your room unless I have given permission for you to do so. Sen, you are human and for once you should be pleased. I am giving you three days sick leave to heal, for humans heal slower then spirits do. Unfortunately, you will have no pay, and you will have to find an assistant for Rebi. As soon as your sick days are over, you and Koto will be working together, doing as I wish, _without_ the aid of magic." That statement was directed more towards Koto than at me. "Understood?"

I was in such a state of shock to do anything but look like a fish out of water. I wasn't going to be fed to vultures, but I was being given to the Devil's Spawn on a silver platter. Didn't she see that Spawn and I didn't get along? If we were to be alone together there would be puddles of blood and two dead bodies on the ground. He could… He could try to take advantage of me, again! Even though I'd fight with my life, I don't think I'd be able to keep him away this time. What the hell was she thinking? I'd rather have the vultures…

**Author's Notes:** Yes, I know, short… I'll go through this again to fix errors, but I'm not doing that now. I think I may have switched tenses at some point… I'll fix that later as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Review please. It's how I survive. 


	9. Catharsis

**Author's Notes:** Wow. I remember when the Spirited Away category only had 32 stories and now it has 1203. Amazing what two years can do, huh?

I'm extremely rusty; you'll see as soon as you read it. I never thought it'd take this long to update. Though I'm sure the story won't follow exactly what I had planned three years ago, I will try to stay as true to the story as possible. Seeing as I haven't written Spirited Away in a long time, please give me an inch of leeway. I'm always up for _constructive_ criticism if you're willing to give it. I will be coming back to this chapter to revise it, no worries. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Spirited Away.

**Rating:** PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary:** Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

** A Thousand Fathoms **

**Chapter 9: Catharsis**

Colors swirled, twisting, melting into one another as I made my way to my unit's housing. I vaguely remember strong lithe hands holding me up and a powerful commanding body guiding me home. My mind was blank; there was nothing, no feeling, no thought. I couldn't even feel my injuries anymore. My face was wet and my skin stung. I ended up in the unit sooner than I thought. Worried, hushed voices sailed through me, faces drifted past, I floated through the room, mumbling, trying to remove myself from the person holding me. We entered the bathroom, and I only knew where I was because of the soapy smell. The person forced me to sit and I did. I had no will to fight anymore.

As my guide sat, my blurry vision slowly focused. Rebi, a deeply troubled look covering her features leaned over the counter and dipped the edge of a washcloth into a bowl of water. She brought the damp cloth to my swollen lip, and only then did I realize, as the fresh water dripped into my mouth, that the liquid on my face was salty tears. The cloth barely touched my lip and I winced in pain. I looked at the white cloth now covered in dried brown blood.

I turned to the mirror.

I was dead. Walking dead. My skin pale, translucent, except for the bruised and blood stained patches. My entire right eye was black, swollen shut, and oozing tears. My whole bottom lip was twice its normal size. There was a black line of bruised skin on my forehead, and a distinctive bump on the left side of my head. How did I survive? How was I even alive?

The moment I saw my image everything in the past weeks at the Aburaya flooded like a whirlpool inside my body. Before I knew it, gut wrenching sobs burst from my aching, tired body. Everything hurt—_everything—_my heart most of all, because the one person I wanted to be there, to hold me and comfort me, wasn't there. Who knew if I'd ever see him again.

Strong limbs of skin and bone, enveloped me, folded over me. I was protected, loved, but by not Haku, and the sobs erupted, the tears, the moans of pure agony, screams of wanting to be home, wanting my mom, my dog, my dragon, my Haku.

Rebi told me later that I cried for hours. I fell asleep in her arms and she carried me to my bed with strength I didn't know she possessed.

The next day I slept. I didn't talk to anyone. I stayed in my corner and only got up to go the bathroom when no one else was present.

Not once did I stop crying.


	10. Strength

**Author's Notes:** Chapter 10!! This is a major milestone for me. I'm so excited I can hardly contain my happiness for working on this story again. Chapter ten will be about as short as nine was because I'm still extremely rusty. I will greatly accept _constructive_ criticism. I'm always open for ways to improve my skills.

Don't worry; the angst won't last for too much longer. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Spirited Away.

**Rating: **PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary: **Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

**A Thousand Fathoms **

**Chapter 10: Strength**

Rebi woke me at sunrise on my third day of leave. I had stopped crying the night before and barely spoke to anyone let alone Rebi. She had told me, as I drifted off to sleep, that Spawn and I were to report to the pigsties an hour after the sun touched the earth. I clamored out of bed disobeying my body's pleas to stay in for a much-needed rest. My joints rubbed together like sand paper; I could hear the dust and ache expel itself from my body. Silently Rebi helped me change into a new uniform; the one I wore for the past five days was stained with blood and sweat.

She offered to walk me to the sties, but I shook my head and slowly but surely made my way through the bathhouse maze. Dread sprang from the floor and curled around my legs, slowing me down. By the time I reached the exit I had stopped walking completely.

I was going to certain death. Not that I wasn't dead already. The Chihiro I once knew so well fell the back of my consciousness, and in its place thrived a new and numb being. Nothing could hurt as long as I couldn't feel, and for the past three days I felt nothing. Total and complete emptiness. As long as I kept that barrier around me, I'd be able to survive. Let everything roll off me like a drop of water on my shoulder.

Wind drifted through the curtains, dancing towards me, circling around me, lifting me. The hold that dread once had slowly dissipated as the wind carried me forward. The sun was a welcome touch against my skin. I soaked in every ray I could, every damaging UV ray that existed in that light. I felt more alive in that moment than I had for days. I felt that in one long distant future everything might be okay in the end.

However, I knew it was only going to get worse before it got better, as the custom is with life.

With this new partial hope and a bit of strength in my step I made my way to the sties.


	11. Hercules

**Author's** **Notes:** I would like to address the fact that I've let down my reviewers. I never intended to leave this fic as I did. As one reviewer stated the wonderful fiction fairy that gave me the idea had indeed flown away. Luckily, it came back from a sabbatical, and I am now trying to get back what I started. I don't intend for the fic to go on hiatus again, but I can't make promises. I tend to break those…

Extra long chapter for your reading pleasure.

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You all are going to _hate_ me for this chapter…

HAKU WILL RETURN! Do not be discouraged, just a few more chapters. Hazaa!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Spirited Away.

**Rating:** PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary:** Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

**A Thousand Fathoms **

**Chapter 11: Hercules**

I was never really one for Japanese mythology. Yes, _blasphemy_ or whatever you want to call it. I mean, you'd think that spending time in the Spirit World would have had the opposite effect. However, I fell deeply in love with Greek mythology: the good, the bad, jealousy, lust, incest, blood, war, and infinite, unwavering love. It enticed me, enthralled me. Eighth grade English spoiled me for good.

My favorite myth of all time is Orpheus and Eurydice. I won't go into it, though, because the point I'm trying to make reflects that of Hercules's twelve labors.

In a fit of madness induced by Hercules's stepmother, Hera, Hercules killed his family. As a penance for his crime, King Eurystheus gave him, originally, ten tasks. The King added two more tasks later in the sentence for what he called "cheating", which, in reality, was a bout of cleverness.

Hercules's fifth task: clean the Augean stables in one day.

The stables were occupied by immune-to-disease livestock (a divine gift) and, therefore, hadn't been cleaned in years. There was no way Hercules could clean the stables in one day, let alone three (if he had been given the time), so Hercules, being the clever man that he is (or was), re-routed two rivers to flow through the stables, effectively cleaning them out in one day.

By the way, this task was one of the two reasons King Eurystheus added on extra tasks, because the rivers did the work for him.

Still, Hercules is a clever man.

Yes, boring information, I know.

The _point_ I'm trying to make is the moment I stepped in the sties I felt like Hercules, faced with an impossible task and expected to complete it with absolutely no mistakes.

The sty was about as big as a football field (ironically, the sty was located right next to an extremely large field on the far end of Yubaba's property). Anyway, that was—that was… stupid… a stupid thing to say… Not necessarily irony, now is it?

Anyway… I had never seen so much mess in my life, and coming from me that's saying something. The sty was used as unorganized, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, storage for stuff they had no need for. There was a bike with no wheels, an old worn car tire, an aluminum Christmas tree, and rusted metal, undistinguishable metal, that rose from the ground, and towered over my short-stature—menacing and cruel, like a gigantic sharp ugly monster bent on killing the whole world with tetanus. Shiver. As if organizing this junk wasn't enough work, there was old moldy hay and manure blanketing the floor, and food rotting in the troughs.

Literally, I stood in the doorway of this gigantic monster too shocked to move. My whole body was protesting—twitching, aching, moaning—knowing that what I was to do today would send me to the morgue.

I had to out-Hercules Hercules…

No wonder Yubaba gave us this task, if Spawn and I didn't kill each other first, the cleaning surely would. I wondered how many tasks she had for us. Were they all like this? Would I die cursing her name to heavens or Spawn's, because, at this point, they were on the same bloody, loathing, level.

I tried think of many different ways to avoid this insane job. One of my favorites involved a flame-thrower and hypnotized bunnies… Alas, there was no way to get out of this. _Period._ Even if I crawled up to Yubaba broken, bloody, and dying of leprosy she'd still make me clean the damn sty. Worst of all, I had clean it with the Devil's Spawn.

It was the happiest moment of my life. Ha! At least my sense of humor was still intact. I'd rather have humor than dignity… Haha, oh, humor!

"You're late" Spawn oh-so-lovingly-sneered as I stepped inside, confident and graceful. Well, as confident and graceful as I could with a battered body.

Damn equilibrium.

_Good morning, you-ass-hole-pig-for-brains-craptastic-fucking-wanker._ If only I had the energy to physically make that comment… I glared at him instead, the narrow-eyed, I'm-going-to-castrate-you-in-your-sleep, ice glare that sends grown men crying for mommy. Spawn's body twitched a little when his eyes met mine, and I could see a flash of fear in his features.

I scared him, for a split second, but I still scared him! Whoo-hoo! Half a point to me.

Spawn: two

Chihiro: two and a _half_! Let the angels sing!

A frog walked in, one I wasn't well acquainted with, probably one of the livestock handlers, took one look at the mess and laughed (very evilly, might I add). Did the whole world band together to make my life miserable? If not, it was certainly starting to look that way. The frog turned towards Spawn, self-satisfied smirk on his face, and then looked at me, his smirk faltered briefly on account of my black eye and still swollen lip.

"Will you be able to work, human?"

For a second it seemed he was actually concerned.

"Yes." I was going to work my ass off in front of Mr. I-can-be-in-a-bloody-bone-breaking (because that's what I did, I broke his arm)-fight-and-look-absolutely-flawless-three-days-later. I was going to work my ass off whether I was able to or not.

I am not weak. I am strong. I am Woman; hear me roar.

I snarled a little, baring my teeth in Spawn's direction. For the second time that day, he twitched. Another half point!

The frog glanced at me strangely before speaking again.

"I'm Sawagi, here to keep the peace."

I snorted. Oh irony, I love you.

Sawagi leaned forward, quite menacing for a three-foot tall frog, daring us to deny what he said. "I'm here to make sure you two don't kill each other. I'm under strict orders to alert Yubaba the moment things get out of hand, and she won't hesitate to turn you into pigs the next time around. Now, clean."

Sawagi smirked as he pulled the tire and an old couch cushion from the mess, set them in the far corner and promptly sat down to watch us… watching him.

"Go on, get!" He waved his had in a shooing motion.

I looked at the mess again.

_I'd_ _much rather be a pig._

If I was a pig, though, Kohaku and I would be an even more impossible couple. Never mind the fact that he still hadn't returned from his pointless mission. He said that he'd know if something happened to me. Well, _something_ did happen, a big something, and he still showed not signs of coming home or checking to see if I was alright. Apparently, having his best friend beaten up by a slimy slug wasn't enough for him to high-tail it out of wherever he was to make said best friend feel better. I would give anything to be sitting in his arms right now, to be safe, warm, well, and, above all, happy.

However, Kohaku was not here, wasn't here to make my miserable life better. And I… I am anything but dependant on a man, the man of my dreams included. I was going to stand on my own two feet even if it killed me.

Mustering up my strength, I looked over the metal monster once more. The best bet would be to move everything out of the sty first, before deep cleaning. However, Spawn, as usual, had his own plans and had already started sweeping up the floor. He was purposefully leaving all the heavy stuff for me.

_Useless miserable excuse for a man._

Less than pleased, I marched over to the pile of junk upon junk, my body slowly starting to warm up, but still in so much pain, and surveyed what would be the best way to start moving shit out. Tetanus, here I come!

As I climbed onto a precariously perched table in order to remove stuff from top to bottom, Sawagi yelled at Spawn to be more productive. Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed Sawagi rip the broom from Spawn's grasp and push him over to the bike. I would've smiled had I been more healthy and not worried about rust-causing disease. Gritting my teeth, I focused on my Herculean task.

Oh, this was the life.

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It took us five days—yes, five—to move all the junk out and finally start cleaning out the old hay and whatnot. Spawn and I never talked; it was something we didn't even have to agree on. We worked together like oil and water. Under fed and over worked, we trudged around Hades trying to make it look nicer and fantastically failing. More than once, I found myself light-headed and seeing stars, but I refused to stop working for more than the allowed time off, in order to not anger Yubaba and to not show Spawn I was feeling less than par.

I came back to bed every night exhausted. Rebi would be waiting with a bowl of rice and a roasted newt (an acquired taste called hunger) from Kamajii. We'd sit in relative silence as I shoved mouthfuls of food into my open trap before she had to head off to her shift. There wasn't much to say aside from the fact that I really needed a tetanus shot (I hadn't cut myself yet, though, with my luck, it was bound to happen soon), and when I mentioned it once she looked at me confused and a little worried for my mental well being.

Damn spirits and their non-existent diseases.

I had just pulled myself out of bed on the morning of Torture: Day Number Six, when I saw stars again. I sat back down on the mat, with my head in my hands, willing my strength to pull me through until I made it to the sties. Sawagi had taken to giving us breakfast the moment we showed up. The sooner I ate the sooner the stars would go away.

Outside was hot, unbelievably _hot,_ instant sweat and dehydration. Summer, you heat-whore! Even in my light uniform, I was soaked. I pulled off my akome, leaving my navy undershirt on; there was little temperature difference. Beads of sweat collected over my skin, as if I had just climbed out of a pool.

Mmm…pool…

The only solace I had (besides daydreaming about pools and a half-naked Kohaku) was that Spawn was in the same burning hell as me, cooking under the sun like me, and Yubaba held the communal baster.

I was the first one to make it to the sties, breakfast was set up for Spawn and I with a note saying that Sawagi wasn't going to supervise today. He had "prior engagements" according to the note. There was no indication that there would be anyone watching over us either. It was as if they felt it necessary to leave Spawn and I alone in the same room for entertainment. We were an experiment! We were the mice in the maze hunting for cheese.

I started to hyperventilate the second time I read the letter.

Alone.

Alone with _him_.

_Not a good thing._

I was going to be alone with him for the first time since we beat each other to pulp and the only thought running through my head was "not a good thing". A bruised knee is not a good thing. A bad haircut is not a good thing. Spending five hours in a dictator's torture chamber with only the garrote as company, somehow seemed a bit more intense than "not a good thing".

I actually started laughing hysterically at this point, laughing and crying all at the same time. By far the most absurd moment of my life…

_Everything will be okay. Really, it will. I'll just hide a rusty scrap of metal on my person, and if he comes within a ten foot radius I'll give him tetanus. _

I grabbed my breakfast—rice, rice, and, oh wait, more rice—and sat down on the old beat-up cushion Sawagi always claimed. Just my luck a small rusty piece of metal was lying on the floor next to me. All stealthy-like I stuck it in my pocket, ready for the fight to come.

Span walked in, more-like strutted in, looking all smug and—_holy fuck!_

My eyes hit the floor so fast, as if they had exploded out of a two-cylinder shotgun.

It was suddenly a whole lot warmer than it was before.

I took a moment to reconvene myself. Did I actually see what I thought I just saw? Honestly? And-and-and was I blushing?

Damn.

Hesitantly, I looked up…

…and looked right back down again.

Yup, yup, yup. He wasn't wearing a shirt. No-no-no shirt. No piece of fabric to cover his chiseled chest, toned arms, and sleek back. When he moved to pick up the letter and his breakfast, his muscles rippled under his skin, smooth and powerful. His long hair, tied back at the base of his neck and in a simple braid, swept a little past the band of his pants. He was, for all accounts, aside from his awful, _horrid _personality, a _god_.

_Oh my… _


	12. Rematch

**Author's** **Notes:** Chapter 12! Sorry for the long wait. I've been in the process of moving and haven't had internet until a few days ago. I also just finished baking a cake, and I feel oddly accomplished. It is a great feeling. This chapter is a bit short, and will be revised (because a few parts still need some fixing).

In all honestly I completely understand why people feel the need to debunk and degrade an author's work, and you are free to do so, but keep in mind that it makes you look as if you have nothing better to do than bully others around.

With that said and done, please review (they are what keep me alive) and leave constructive criticism. Thank you. Enjoy!

Only a few more chapters 'till Haku comes back. Are you excited? Because I am!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Spirited Away.

**Rating: **PG-13 (Ratings may change)

**Summary: **Seven years, one month, two weeks, four days, and two hours, but hey who's counting? Never a dream. I would never let myself believe it was a dream. "Oh God, I'm actually going through with this!" I took a step.

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**A Thousand Fathoms**

**Chapter 12: Rematch**

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After the first scary moment of the day (finding Spawn somewhat attractive), based solely on my pent up sexual frustration and raging teenage hormones, things went relatively smoothly. We didn't talk as we started on cleaning out the stalls, and that was fine by me.

I stood in one of the stalls. Staring at the mess, and pondering what I could possibly see in the man working with me. I did not like him, I don't think I ever could after what he did. He was abusive, disgustingly confident, conceited, arrogant, and narcissistic. He wasn't my type by any means. Nevertheless, there was something drawing me too him. I hadn't noticed it until now. The feeling I had when I first saw him as I crossed the bridge resurfaced. Spawn needed help (in more areas than one), and I hoped that if I could somehow fix at least one of his many problems Yubaba would let me out of hell early for good behavior.

I felt, more than saw, Spawn walk past the stall I was currently occupying.

"Just because Sawagi isn't here doesn't mean you can slack off, whore."

A thought.

"You do know why we're here, right?" I asked ignoring his comment and trailing him as he stepped into the stall next to mine.

Silence.

Change my tactic. I decided to be daring.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Huh?"

"What is your favorite color?" I repeated as if he had the lowest IQ on earth, which he did. He was looking at me as if I had just sprouted lettuce from my head. I resisted from rolling my eyes.

"You do realize the only reason we're here is because we don't get along. The only way we'll get out of this hell-hole is if we're somewhat decent to each other. The sooner we start acting like we care, the sooner we won't have to see each other. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me. _So what is your favorite color_?"

I admit I was a _little_ irritated by the time I was done, and all he was doing was standing there looking bewildered. Little stars danced in front of my eyes. I felt floaty, kind of like being on a rollercoaster with loop-de-loops. My vision turned black around the edges, and, before I knew it, the ground was rushing towards my face. The dull thunk of the pitchfork hitting the dirty floor echoed through my pounding head, as I stopped myself from falling completely.

Disoriented.

The black was creeping back into my sight, I couldn't see straight. Shivers rippled my entire body, my limbs numb. Vaguely, I registered strong, steely arms moving me into a sitting position.

I did not need any help; I was _fine,_ completely fine!

I tried to resist and when that failed, I resorted to incoherent mumbling. The darkness had taken over entirely, but only because my eyes were closed. I opened them, severely disliking the sun reflecting off the metal stalls, and who should be sitting before me, holding me up by my shoulders, but the Devil's Spawn himself.

_Help._ The rhythm of blood rushing through my veins increased and pounded against the back of my eyes. _Help… someone…_

Something sharp poked my thigh and I remembered, with a jolt, my little secret. I pulled it out of my pocket, hearing it rip my pants. Spawn tried to keep me still, but to avail. I brought the rusted shard up intent on tearing him a new one, when the support holding me up disappeared.

Spawn spoke words I couldn't quite catch. Then pain, like Novocain spreading through the blood stream, shot through my left arm. Through my darkening vision, I saw him pressing his thumb against my sprained wrist. The shard dropped and a sharp clang hit the air.

He was speaking again, mumbling, as he pried my heavy lids open. I noticed he was a bit more careful with my right eye. A soft constant slap against my cheek snapped me to attention.

_What is he doing?_

"Sen," Spawn grabbed my face, making me focus on him. "Sen, how much water have you had?"

_Oh._

"Apparently not enough," I said, slurring my words together, still attempting to get away.

There was a bowl of water in his hands that hadn't been there a second before. "Here, drink this." And I did. The thought that he might have slipped something into the drink never crossed my mind. It looked like water, it tasted like water, it smelled like water, and so it was water.

Suddenly, I began to feel more down-to-earth. My vision cleared slightly and I could see that Spawn actually looked worried before his blank-mask-of-emotion marred his features.

"I told her this would happen. You're too weak."

"Careful," I murmured, exhausted. "If you keep talking it may seem like you care."

"I don't." He paused, his face still showing no indication of anything whatsoever. "If you get hurt the blame will be placed on me, whether I did it or not. I'm worried about _my_ life _not_ yours."

So much for a knight in shining armor...

I tried to get up, but he pushed me back down.

"You'll faint."

"I feel just fine, thank you," I snapped, pushing his hand away. I stood up. Fast.

_Idiot_, I thought when my legs gave out from under me, and gravity pulled me down. I never landed. The same strong steely arms supported my weight as they guided me to the floor.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

I snorted.

0

Later, I found myself sitting outside Yubaba's gigantic double doors, waiting. It was absurd, really, that I was here and less than a little worried about what Yubaba had in store for him. Spawn my have helped me, but it was only for his own purposes. He was still a selfish bastard, whether he knew it or not.

The doors swung open and Spawn walked out, fury rolling off him in flaming waves, his face scowling. He marched directly towards me, and the urge to run seeped into my body. He stopped, though, a foot away from me, squatting so he was level with my face.

"I'll accept this…" he searched for a word, his eye darting to the side for a split second before meeting mine again, "…proposal."

I wondered what Yubaba threatened him with to make him actually comply.

"On one condition," Spawn continued.

"Okay…" I was a little hesitant to say the least.

"I want a rematch."

"A what?"

"A rematch."


End file.
